Nightshade
by jupiter123
Summary: Zoe Nightshade died once upon a time. But as the barrier between life and death fades, she finds herself alive. What happened? Meanwhile the fates lead her to Camp Jupiter; as she's no longer a hunter, she's experiencing a new life here. New decisions need to be made when an old friend of hers appears with no memories of her, or anyone else.
1. Arrival

**Hello! This story is where Zoe comes back to life and goes to Camp Jupiter instead of Hazel, she isn't a hunter anymore. Jason is here but he'll disappear soon. Percy will appear later. **

I sometimes enjoy looking at the world below, seeing the world green and vibrant. But more often I feel envy at the vitality that I do not possess. Most days I just want rest.

I do not feel tired or ill here as those are only burdens on life; however I do grow bored and I miss the excitement of life.

Perhaps I should welcome the end. I lived for thousands of years and experienced much grief in that time. Others here tell me that in time I will be able to rest here and that I am fortunate.

But now I feel like I've missed out on life. I pride myself on having a great understanding of nature, and being a good leader. Those are lovely but there's so much I don't know and that I never even tried to learn.

Have I grown wise in 2000 years? I think not. I am still in the body of a young girl, not a woman. I never experienced life beyond the hunt and I never changed.

Wait? There's steps leading down. There's an open door. I'm walking through. I'm breathing. There's so much noise below. What happened to death?

* * *

I hummed to myself as I walked down the road, staring at every car that rushed past me and shivered in the chill winds. The weather was of little concern to me, it is just another sign of life. Everything is so real and wild to my dulled senses. Harsh yet not unwelcome.

I closed my eyes and listened. I didn't think I'd miss the sound of wind but I enjoyed hearing it again. It's natural and when I was alive I'd hardly ever noticed it save for when I was actively hunting. But I thought I was alive again.

I wondered if the fates had lead me down this path - I saw two kids dressed in armour guarding a tunnel. It's Roman. Examining the tunnel, I remembered having gone to this place before. I remembered attacking this place with the intent to kill the people and plunder the fortress.

I tried not to think about the death and destruction as I walked forward. The two kids tensed as I approached though I was unarmed. I smiled because their actions were sensible, they didn't have any reason to trust me.

I considered what to say. "Greetings Romans, my name is Zoe. May I come through?" I continued walking towards them without slowing but I held out my empty hands. Hopefully they wouldn't try to stab me.

"Who are you? Why have you come here alone?" The boy demanded holding his spear in front of him. The girl also held a spear and they both glared at me.

I stopped in front of them, looking unimpressed by their weapons. If they did attack, I thought I had a fair chance of grabbing a spear from them and could easily kill them. But I wanted to be let in peacefully. Perhaps I could join the legion. They probably wouldn't attack unless I was acting hostile anyway.

"My name is Zoe Nightshade and I'm looking to join the legion. I don't have any companion to travel with so I'm traveling alone," I replied smoothly. I shouldn't have to say anything more if they were only guards.

For a few seconds they continued to glare at me before the boy slowly nodded and gestured for me to continue. They escorted me down the tunnel though, ready to skewer me if I tried anything. I briefly wondered if it was wise for the tunnel to be left unguarded while they both escorted me. But then again I was probably the biggest threat for a mile.

I walked through a river which apparently marked the boundary of the camp. But the water felt strange and harsh to me. It was so strong and fresh and it hurt , it was as if it was draining my spirit. I did not cry out though and allowed some of my old self to be washed away, even as it pained me. It was as if I was accepting change.

* * *

A boy and a girl sat in front of me while I stood. Their purple capes signified their high rank in this camp. This camp which was far too disciplined and probably not very enjoyable. I would've preferred the Greek camp. But that was of little importance now.

"So you're a half-blood seeking to join the legion?" The girl, Reyna, asked me.

I nodded, though that wasn't entirely true. I wasn't a half-blood as I didn't have a mortal parent. Yet for so long I'd always been just a hunter for Artemis and I wasn't anymore. I wasn't sure who I was right now.

"Verbal response please," Reyna said.

"Yes, I'm seeking to join the legion," I replied, deftly evading the first part of the question. The gold and silver dog statues, who were lie detectors, growled at me anyway.

"And who is your godly parent?" She asked. The boy, Jason, seemed content to remain silent while his partner talked.

I felt annoyance at how personal the question was, I did not enjoy speaking about myself at all. "My mother though I am unsure of her identity." That was another lie unless one argued that knowing a name was not the same as knowing a person, and I did not know my mother very well.

The dogs detected the lie regardless and both began barking and they advanced towards me. I immediately backed away though it was a small room - those claws looked very sharp. Were I not in danger I would probably be delighted how shiny the rare metals were.

Fortunately, as one lifted a claw to strike me Jason ordered them to stop and they obeyed. They backed off and merely growled while Reyna and Jason appeared annoyed. Apparently if I died it would simply be an annoyance to them.

"Tell the truth," Reyna demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"It's a personal question and I don't wish to tell you," I replied.

They watched me with suspicion, I sensed they were unused to people not replying to their questions. I did not care for their customs though and just stared back at them, keeping a neutral stance.

"You are refusing to answer?" Reyna asked to confirm after a pause.

"Yes."

Reyna sighed and relaxed. "I'm not going to demand an answer from you, right now. Octavian will confirm your loyalty, I hope," she said. Reyna grabbed some jelly beans from a bowl on their desk, looking more like an ordinary person.

"I'll take her there, then," Jason said. He had not relaxed and I thought he disagreed with Reyna's choice. Still, he went along with it, as leaders shouldn't undermine each other's authority.

Reyna nodded once and Jason stood up to lead me out.

* * *

I haven't walked with a boy for a long time. I've always avoided them since that mythical hero left me and I joined Artemis. Any time I had been near boys I'd always felt uncomfortable and, of course, dislike. Now I don't feel like that though.

Maybe I could get to know a boy, that'd be new. Now that I noticed him, Jason looked a little haunted but strong as well. I imagined he'd experienced much to become the leader of the camp.

He leads me forward silently and we pass temples for various gods. They're large and majestic. We near the temple for Jupiter and it's so close and real. Jason was leading me in there. It also feels precious, it would be a shame to lose anything this grand.

It was an honour to be seeing it and I tried not to take it's beauty for granted. Because one day I won't see beauty like this again. In my last life I think I had taken sights like this for granted.

Jason seemed unimpressed by the temple. "There's Octavian, he's going to read your augury," he said as we entered, pointing to a thin blonde boy wearing a toga.

Octavian smirked as we walked over to him. "Greetings! You must be the lonely hunter," he said to me.

I looked past him to the altar. He was cutting up animals to read who I was, it seemed. I made no reply and waited.

Jason answered for me though, "she's here so can you read her augury?"

"Of course! What's your name?" He replied, turning to grab something.

"I'm Zoe." He had a teddy bear in one hand and a sharp knife in the other. I frowned, he was cutting up stuffed toys? That was strange.

I watched him cut up the toy, patiently. I was almost certain the fates would allow me to join the legion. They had lead me here for a reason.

"Congrats. You may join the legion," he said a moment later. He didn't sound very enthusiastic about it. "Assuming one of the cohorts will take you in, of course," he added, smiling at the idea.

"You don't have any letters of reference do you?" Jason asked me.

I had nothing save for the clothes I wore. Was I expected to carry letters of recommendation? I was skilled though, could I not recommend myself?

"I have nothing."

**Nt sure how long this'll be but that was the first chapter. Please do review, especially if you have any ideas. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Rivalry

**Hey there, here's another chapter. I don't think I'll add any old English to Zoe's dialogue by the way, I don't think it'll add much.**

* * *

"This is Gwen. Show her your talents and she may stand for you," Jason said. He'd led me to a girl, apparently a legionaire would need to stand for me tonight so that I could join the legion.

"Hello, welcome to camp Jupiter!" She said, smiling.

"Good luck Zoe," Jason said before turning and walking away.

I walked with Gwen. She appeared to be around twenty so I likely looked young to her. But with a bow, I could surely impress her, if I had to.

"So what do you think of the camp so far?" She asked me after a moment.

I glanced around at the old-fashioned architecture and grassy fields. "It's very organised."

Gwen smiled. "Yes it is," she agreed. "I love it here, we're safe and I have people looking out for me."

"How many people are here?"

"There's about two hundred legionaires, many ghosts and more people going to college in New Rome," she replied, helpfully.

I nodded in reply. After a pause she asked, "you don't have a weapon, do you? Do you know how to fight?"

"I don't have any weapons. But I'm very good with a knife and a bow and arrow," I replied, I couldn't mask my pride at being so accomplished.

Gwen looked surprised by this. Though she kept her eyes on me, she quickened her pace. "You've learned how to shoot? Don't you think you should carry a weapon around or haven't you fought any monsters yet?"

Clearly it was out of the norm to know how to shoot arrows, especially before you arrive. It also might be considered strange that I wasn't chased by monsters on my way to camp Jupiter. But escaping death does lead to strange events.

"I used to have weapons but they're lost or destroyed now," I explained away.

Gwen didn't appear satisfied with my admittedly brief explanation but didn't press the issue. "Okay then, come in here and I'll see if I can find you some suitable weapons," she replied and entered a building, the Armoury presumably.

I entered after her and flinched at the sight. The building was filled with shining gold. I looked down, I'd always associated gold with Apollo and even the memory of him made my blood boil - well usually it was only mild annoyance but nevertheless so much gold was unpleasant.

"Zoe?" Gwen had noticed my discomfort, of course. I immediately walked over to her while she looked at me with worry. I wished she wouldn't.

"Are you alright?"

I attempted to look more relaxed. "I'm quite well. The sight of the gold was merely startling," I replied honestly; sincerity was important after all.

Again she wasn't pleased with my answer, perhaps most wouldn't act so adverse to the sight of gold. But most people hadn't met Apollo, his cabin at the Greek camp was pure gold! At least all she was doing was frowning at me.

She picked up a few gold weapons. "You fight with a knife, right?"

I nodded and she continued, "okay, would you be happiest with a gladius, a short sword or a Spatha, or else a Putio, a dagger?" She held up each of the weapons as she said their names.

I briefly tried each weapon out before choosing the short sword. The spatha was far too big and the Roman dagger simply wasn't suitable. Perhaps I could make my own weapon while I was here, something I was more comfortable with. The gladius was fine for now though. Gwen told me she favoured a spear.

"Great!" Gwen said when I told her my choice. "Let's have a fight then," she grinned in excitement, clearly keen to show off to me, the new person.

* * *

On my way to a practice arena, I considered my chances. I was almost certain Gwen would underestimate me. She was a centurion and several years older than me physically. She was also much bigger and stronger and probably thought I was inexperienced.

I was very experienced though. Also Romans traditionally fought as teams and likely didn't do a great deal of one on one fighting. I thought I had a fair chance of winning.

However, she was stronger than me and I couldn't underestimate her. I wasn't using my preferred weapon while she would be using a spear, which had a much longer range than mine. And I hadn't practiced since before I died. Gwen hadn't died recently.

I faced her, holding my sword in front of me while she held her spear. A few of her friends had decided to watch the fight, including Jason. Did they expect the fight to last a long time or were others going to fight each other afterwards? Or they just wanted to spend time with Gwen and were prepared to wait.

We circled each other slowly, I was waiting for her to attack first.

She lunged. I swiftly dodged to the right and tried to get in close but she hadn't let her guard down. The spear followed me and my sword felt tiny in comparison. I continued to circle her and she slowly turned.

She lunged again. I dodged again. This time she followed it with another jab but I easily avoided it. I decided to focus on speed to get around her guard, so I waited for her to attack again before making my move.

She lunged again and again and again, clearly underestimating my reflexes as I smoothly dodged all of her jabs and ran behind her, to deliver a swift blow. She turned to stop me with her spear but I ducked below it and was in the perfect position to stab her in the stomach-

A strong hand - Gwen's - was suddenly pushing my head back. Not standing at full height I lost balance and my head hit the hard ground. I immediately rolled away from Gwen before she could take advantage of my position and got up.

She was charging towards me with her spear but I'd expected this and quickly moved backwards before charging towards her, keen to attack before she recovered her stance. I dodged her spear again and launched an attack on her side.

I grabbed the shaft of her spear in my other hand but she wrestled it off me and I nearly lost my balance. I let go of the spear but before she could retaliate, I had my sword at her neck.

She breathed heavily, and stared at me in disbelief. She took a step away from me and lowered her spear. "That was... very good," she said.

I nodded and put the sword in it's sheath on my waist. I knew I'd taken her by surprise and wasn't certain I could win another battle so easily though. It was good to know I was still in a skilled fighter.

* * *

I walked outside alone while Gwen talked to her friends. I didn't have much to do before dinner in an hour where Gwen assured me that she'd stand for me so I could join her cohort.

"Hey Zoe, where are you going?" A voice said behind me. It was Jason.

"Nowhere."

"I'll come with you," he replied, clearly wishing to speak with me.

I nodded though it wasn't comfortable. He was a boy and I was a former hunter. Still, he could prove to be interesting. He was obviously respected in this camp.

"You beat Gwen," he said after a moment.

"Indeed."

So... would you tell me about yourself? We don't know anything about you," he said. By we I assumed he was referring to him and Reyna. It seemed he was only innocently curious.

"I don't have anything to tell you," I replied, with some irritation.

Jason smiled and tried not to laugh at that. I glared at him, he only smiled more.

"What," I said sharply, "do you find so humorous?"

"Sorry, sorry," he said quickly. "It's just...how serious you are and how easily you're annoyed."

I looked at him in disbelief. I was used to respect or challenges, not this casual attitude. Was he laughing at my weakness? Would he be laughing I'd I was a huntress?

Jason stopped smiling. "Listen, I don't mean to laugh, I really don't," he said seriously. "It's just... after everything that's happened, it seems weird that you'd be so secretive."

Oh. Everything that's happened? He's clearly been through something huge recently and it has had an effect on him. I would permit the laughing for now then; well I wouldn't stab him just yet.

"What happened?" Understanding it would be best.

He seemed hesitant to say anything, and I was in no position to demand anything of him. "Of course, you haven't heard," he said, thinking.

"A few months ago, Titans tried to take over the world. Do you know about gods and mythology?" He asked me.

I nodded. "So in San Francisco, I destroyed their fortress preventing them from taking over. Their army disintegrated in the east even their power base was destroyed. I helped save Olympus," he explained briefly.

I frowned, I had watched some fighting happening in New York while I had been dead though I hadn't fully understood it. I supposed his tale was not complete. "That's incredible. Did you fight Atlas?" I replied, then wished I hadn't uttered my father's name.

"He tried to invade my thoughts and curse me but he was busy holding up the sky," Jason replied. "I'm surprised you've heard of him though," he added suspiciously.

I knew I needed him to trust me at least a little, some more truth would be necessary. "I know a great deal about monsters, I have been trained before," I said. I wasn't sure how to mention being a huntress.

Jason nodded for me to continue.

"I was... head of a group of hunters, we fought monsters. But the current leader is Thalia now," I continued, adding the name to make my story sound slightly less vague.

"Thalia? The name sounds rather familiar," Jason replied sounding confused. I merely nodded, unsure how to reply.

I looked around, we'd been walking aimlessly for a while now, wasn't dinner soon? I would be happy to stop speaking with Jason, even if he hadn't been too bad so far. Though it was possible he'd start randomly laughing again.

"Well, it makes sense that you're trained, you fought well today," Jason said.

"Thank you," I accepted the compliment. "When is dinner, by the way?"

"Oh it'll be soon! Let's get going," Jason replied and began leading me there.

* * *

**That's the end of this chapter. What do you think? By the way I may have to add in an OC Roman or two at some point. Give me an idea or two for a character? Thanks for reading and I hope you review!**


	3. Average

**Hey there, not too much happening in this chapter, but I hope you like it!**

* * *

I stood in front of the entire camp. Reyna and Jason, as praetors, stood with me. I tried to remain in a neutral stance but couldn't help but want to run. When faced with a force so huge, it was my natural instinct to run away.

Reyna was speaking, asking the legion if they would accept me. Then Jason turned to me and asked whether or not I had letters of reference though he already knew the answer.

"Nothing written on paper," I replied dreamily, "all that recommends me it's written in the stars." It was silly but I would feel even more foolish had I simply replied negatively.

Some people looked up at that as if they expected to see a sign above them though there wasn't and it was still day anyway. I allowed myself to smile at that.

Reyna glared at me for not answering correctly but continued, "will any legionaires stand for Zoe?"

As expected, Gwen stood up. "I will stand for Zoe, today she had proven herself a strong fighter and I'm sure she'll be an asset to the legion."

"Very well! Zoe you are now on probatio!" Reyna announced grandly. I gratefully stood next to Gwen and she lead me to a table to eat.

* * *

Jason joined us at our table though he explained that he wouldn't be sitting with us for very long as it was custom to keeping changing seats. Wherever you were invisible wind spirits would serve you.

"So Zoe there's lots of rules you'll have to follow and jobs to do as a member of the legion but I would hate to ever leave," Gwen said to me, she apparently had to teach me all of the rules and responsibilities.

"Yes. The food is nice," I replied, extremely hungry, it had been a long time since I'd eaten anything and it was so good. I had really missed eating and everything else just seemed less important while I ate.

"You fought well today by the way, I don't think I mentioned it earlier," she said.

"Yeah, it was nice to watch," Jason added.

"Thanks."

"I hope that we can have more fights in the future," Gwen said, keen to start a conversation.

"You want a rematch?" I asked.

She smiled bitterly. "Something like that."

Gwen seemed unhappy with her loss and I could understand why. She was a twenty year old centurion while I was the slight new girl. She didn't seem to be holding a grudge fortunately, she had stood for me regardless and I was grateful.

Jason laughed, "she caught you off guard Gwen. It's because she's already been trained."

Gwen smiled more brightly (she smiled a great deal). "I can see that!" She replied and suddenly she was laughing as well.

I frowned at them, not sure what they might have found humorous, perhaps Gwen had been feeling tense. I had always been too serious to understand though, as I was often told. Or used to be told.

* * *

I woke up early the next morning. Gwen taught me a little about what I had to do, there was always work to do. My work consisted of armour inspections and maintaining weapons. I discovered that the legion was alarmingly low on imperial gold.

No one would tell me why supplies were so low yet they all seemed to know the reason. Gwen was working elsewhere so I couldn't question her. I was rather irritated by this.

I became slightly more aggravated when it was a boy who eventually told me the story, I liked to keep my interaction with boys very low and I'd convinced myself that Richard was only being kind as he liked me.

As a hunter I hated any affection, I refused to consider it a compliment. The fact that I was no longer a hunter only confused and irritated me more. Perhaps Richard had redeemable features though.

He worked next to me and explained that thirty years ago, a group had led an expedition to Alaska which had failed and they lost their Eagle and a great deal of gold. It had been incredibly humiliating for the fifth cohort, of which I was a member. I wondered why they had bothered to bring so much gold in the first place.

* * *

In the afternoon when I had finished working, I had a rematch with Gwen and this time she won. She had known what to expect and subsequently used her long spear and superior strength to overwhelm me. Though I thought I could've won had I tried harder.

At Dinner Jason again sat with me until he changed seats. He told me about war games which would apparently happen tomorrow night. I soon gathered it was this camp's equivalent to capture the flag though slightly more interesting.

Once he'd left to sit with his other friends, I focused on eating. It was so normal yet strange to me now, as I just wasn't used to eating yet. The rest of my day had been strange too, talking to boys, working with gold and trying to understand this new world.

Really fighting with Gwen had been the most normal thing today, until I'd lost. I was used to fighting but she seemed to fight in a different style than I was used to, maybe that's why I'd lost. Whatever the reason, I was going to have a rematch, maybe it would become a routine.

* * *

After dinner, I decided to try out a Roman bath, several people had already recommended it to me and I was keen to try it. Gwen led me there and I made a mental note to learn where everything was, I hated being dependent on anyone else.

"Hey tomorrow, can I have a rematch?" I asked her not wishing to walk in silence.

She grinned at me. "Another? The same as the last two?"

"Yes," I replied, seeing no need for change.

Gwen apparently had other ideas. "Well, what if we made it... interesting?" She said slowly, hinting at something. I didn't know what she meant however.

"What are you suggesting?" I asked.

"A bet."

Ah, right. "Well I don't have anything," I replied. I really had to get done possessions of my own.

Gwen knew this already. "Well what if when I win, you have to do some of my work, say an hour extra for a week?" She suggested.

"And if I win, you'll have to do some of my jobs?" I clarified, considering the idea.

"That's the idea. Are you interested?" She replied smiling. We were approaching the baths now.

Well why not? "Alright then. We'll meet at nine in the same arena then," I agreed.

"See you there. Have a nice bath, Zoe. Can you find your way back on your own?" Gwen was already walking away.

"I think so," I said, before turning and walking in.

* * *

**So overall, it's just a series of short scenes but I enjoy writing Gwen. Next chapter will be a war game and Jason.**

**So please give me some feedback, I hope it wasn't terrible. **


	4. Advantage

**Hey there. So in this chapter I didn't write about a war game as it was getting fairly long so instead, Zoe gets a bow. Hope you like it.**

* * *

Gwen was waiting for me when I arrived at the arena, holding her gold spear.

"Morning, Zoe. How are you?" She greeted me.

"I'm well, ready to begin?" I said, walking past her.

"You're eager," she commented but followed me.

Gwen held her spear in front of me, indicating that the fight had started, but I didn't attack immediately. I'd done that yesterday and the fight had ended quickly.

Gwen seemed to be content with waiting for me to attack her however so I had to make the first move. I took a step forward.

I examined the situation and concluded that my best shot at winning would be to knock the spear out of her hands without getting in range of an attack. This was difficult as she had a strong grip on it with two hands and she was stronger than I was.

Nevertheless, I attacked the tip of the spear with my sword. It wasn't very effective. I inched forward, trying to get closer to her without endangering myself. I attacked her spear a few more times.

I leaned forward a little more. Gwen suddenly lunged forward and took a jab at me. Despite some confusion, I smoothly dodged, well barely dodged and counterattacked. She couldn't prevent it.

I dropped my sword from her neck and took a step away, allowing myself to smile victoriously.

"Good fight," Gwen said, lowering her own weapon.

"Thanks."

"I want a rematch, but next time I think I'll use a sword as well, this spear is too long," she grumbled but didn't look very upset.

"You're good with a sword as well?" I asked politely.

"Good enough."

"And the bet?" I asked.

Gwen chuckled, at my enthusiasm presumably. "Sure, you can have the morning off, but you're working again in the afternoon!"

Lovely.

* * *

I decided to explore New Rome during my now free morning. It was fair distance from the barracks and on my way I passed a large field where campers seemed to be building some sort of temporary fortress. I walked over to it, interested.

"Hello?" I approached a girl carrying a thin wooden plank.

"Yes?" she replied, irritably. She didn't seem to appreciate the interruption.

"Sorry! I'm Zoe, I'm new here, what are you building?" I said quickly.

"Oh you're the new girl," the girl said in a warmer tone. She dropped the wooden plank. "I'm Melissa, daughter of Mercury, and welcome to camp!"

"Thanks, what's happening?" I inquired.

"We're building a fortress to defend for the war games tonight," she explained proudly.

Oh, Jason had mentioned them yesterday, they did look interesting. "Thanks," I said.

"Thank us tonight when you have to break into it," Melissa replied, mischievously. She was smirking so I supposed the structure included various traps. That was fine, I knew a fair amount about traps.

I turned to leave, but then she asked me if I shouldn't be doing work right now, rather than wander around aimlessly.

"I have the morning off," I replied.

"Why?" She wouldn't let the issue drop.

"That is none of your concern," I said stiffly and just walked away before she could reply.

I missed the respect I'd had as lieutenant of the hunters. How long would it take to gain respect here when I was just one of two hundred? Gwen had respect as a centurion, I knew. I'd have to ask her about it later.

I carried on towards New Rome, it looked grand with all the old fashioned architecture. And the walk was pleasant in the beautiful sunny weather.

"Stop there!" I froze as a statue shouted at me suddenly.

It looked like a statue anyway, of a torso of a man, without arms. "Greetings?" I said, unsure of how to address it.

"No weapons allowed inside the Pomerian line!" It yelled at me.

I noticed that there was a line drawn in the dirt behind the statue and assumed it was what he meant. "Who are you?" I asked him. I could sense some sort of power coming from him.

"I am Terminus, God of boundaries! I am guarding the Pomerian line," he announced, proudly. This was a god?

"Hand over your weapon if you wish to come through - and straighten out your clothes," it said when I didn't reply. I stared at him in confusion and looked down at my clothes which didn't look out of ordinary. I straightened my jacket a bit anyway. Why would such a mundane thing concern him?

"That's better, now hand over your sword - I'll give it back once you leave," the statue said, seemingly satisfied.

Boundaries... I slowly got out the short sword and thought. Would he know anything about the boundary between life and death? Was something wrong with it, allowing me to live again or did someone summon me or something?

I placed the sword in a basket next to Terminus and considered asking him about it, perhaps he would become furious with me and use his powers to send me back to death. I wanted to avoid that. Still, I had to find out why I was here, didn't I?

I would ask him, but another time. Not now. Terminus was speaking but I didn't listen. I walked into New Rome.

I walked around and admired the architecture for a while. I walked into a shop and learned that they used denarii here as the currency though some shops also accepted dollars. I didn't have either. I soon left to return to the camp.

* * *

Gwen was in a good mood when I talked to her at lunch, she didn't seem to have minded the extra work, or even if it had annoyed her she was still smiling.

I didn't mind going to do some work in the afternoon either. I think I'd have grown bored with no one for company. Though in my job I had to speak with Richard, I disliked him even more when he informed me that he was a descendant of Venus, goddess of love. Though he hadn't actually done much to merit my dislike, apart from being a boy.

Before dinner I decided to fix my hair into a braid, I had neglected my appearance so far but if I wanted to be respected then I had to look presentable. I looked more like my old self, when I'd been a hunter, after spending some time on my appearance. I wasn't sure whether that was good or bad thing but I looked better at least.

Jason commented on it when I next saw him. "Hey Zoe, your hair looks kinda nice like that," he said. I rolled my eyes in irritation and resisted the urge to ruin my braid; yet at the same time I appreciated the words.

"Good day, how do you like camp so far?" Reyna, who was standing next to Jason, greeted me politely.

I'd enjoyed my first few days here. "It's not bad. Is dinner soon?" I asked. I'd been leaning against a building but had stood up when I had noticed them both leave their office, hoping that they be going to eat.

Reyna nodded,"we're heading over there now." Excellent.

"If you have a weapon then take it, for the war games," Jason added.

I wasn't carrying my gladius, so I went to get it from my room. When I came back, Jason and Reyna had gone ahead though others were also heading over to the pavilion to eat. Despite this, I walked alone.

I didn't mind eating alone though, I wasn't very interested in talking to anyone while I ate.

* * *

"War games are in half an hour," Jason said as he lead me to the armoury. I already knew where it was, of course, but he'd offered to help me out.

"I'm aware," I replied.

"You only have a gladius, right now?" He continued, keen to be helpful.

"Yes," I paused, "would I be able to get a bow?"

He frowned. "Only if you're proficient, we encourage swords and spears here, they're best," he replied, apparently not thinking highly of archers.

"Why? And I'm very proficient, may I demonstrate?" I said, with a hint of anger in my tone. I was no longer a hunter but I couldn't ever give up my archery.

"Well we have some archers, but only descendents of Apollo, usually. It's just... They don't make up the legion, where teamwork is important. They travel separately, they don't march with us," Jason explained with trouble, hoping I'd understand his point of view.

And I did understand what he was referring to, Roman legionaires carried large shields and spears and they slowly marched on their enemies, often in a turtle formation. For archers to shoot, they'd have to be on their own, vulnerable.

I nodded in reply. "Well, I would still appreciate a bow."

Jason smiled at me, looking sheepish. "Fine then, I think you have a few minutes to practice then, come on," he said and quickened his pace.

We arrived and Jason found me a bow he thought would suit me. When was the last time I'd held a bow? It was a little different from my old bow but it really didn't matter right now. I had missed holding a real, substantial bow.

"Thanks! It will be great," I said, and I couldn't help but grin.

Jason smiled back. "You're welcome."

I found some arrows too and tried them out. There was a target several meters away and I pulled back the bow. It was slightly harder to pull back than I'd expected but I managed. I took aim. I released the arrow. It seemed to fly straight. It hit the target but it was about a decimetre off a bullseye.

I frowned. It was more of miss than I'd thought it'd be. I knew that I hadn't had any practice in a long time and I wasn't USING a bow I was used to so I hadn't expected a perfect shot but I was nevertheless disappointed. Well... I had lost Artemis's blessing when I'd died.

I nocked another arrow, aimed, and took another shot. And another. And another. Each time I grabbed an arrow and fired it more quickly, for speed was at least as important as accuracy. Aim. Shoot. Aim shoot. Aim. Shoot.

"Zoe!" I turned, my rhythm broken, And looked at Jason's surprised face. He'd grabbed my arm.

"You're... very good, great even, grab those arrows and let's go though," he said, he seemed impressed.

"Thanks. So you don't mind?" I asked, not that his disapproval would prevent me from archery.

Jason didn't answer immediately, he took some arrows out of the target. "It's your choice, I suppose," he replied, suggesting he wasn't entirely pleased.

"Thanks," I said again. Jason seemed nice, and quite respectful of me despite our differing opinions.

He turned and handed me the arrows. "Well then," he replied, "let's get going!"

* * *

**Okay, hope you enjoyed it! Must make Jason disappear soon or at this rate I'll end up writing a Jason/Zoe story which is, admittedly, an interesting idea.**

**Anyway thanks for reading and please do review!**


	5. Vanity

**Hey there, thanks for all the reviews! Here's another chapter, hope you like it! And don't worry - this will not be a Jason/Zoe story.**

* * *

The third, fourth and fifth legions were attacking the fortress built by the first and second legions, I'd learned. I stood with the fifth legion and waited for Jason, who was in charge, to order us to attack. Reyna was refereeing the match and this was apparently normal.

Gwen stood next to me, looking intimidating in armour, and was holding her spear in her right hand. Other than a helmet, I was merely in my ordinary clothes; this apparently irritated some of the other campers as I was only new but Jason had kindly allowed it.

I could see that other archers were dressed similarly so I would have liked to stand with them, for they were in a group but Gwen had wanted me to stay with her. I could see why of course but I felt out of place here. I felt a little irritated at Gwen especially as she seemed sceptical of my ability as an archer, though she didn't notice. Gwen was intently waiting for the order to march.

It came. There was a rumble of movement as a hundred armoured kids swiftly began moving forwards, towards the fortress ahead. Behind us, the other two cohorts also began moving.

As I tried to follow the rhythm of the marching, I hosted at the group of archers, they were spreading out into a looser formation and moving forward to, but in a more casual way. Or perhaps they weren't really walking in a group but getting into positions. I wanted to join them.

Oh well, I would manage, now how to attack? I got out an arrow and began rubbing it. Our side's plan seemed to be simply use the elephant, batter down the gate and charge. However the other side would be attacking us until we managed to break in so I was uncertain of how things would work out.

But there was a ballistae up there, shooting what appeared to be fireballs at us, though it didn't appear incredibly accurate, at least not from a long range, as it hadn't hit anyone yet. It gave me a idea and I rubbed my arrow a little harder, to give it some power.

I glanced at Gwen, she was facing forward, concentrating on her marching and generally playing the part of a legionaire but not watching me. Good. I quietly moved away from her, towards the archers; she didn't notice.

But Jason did, he had been watching everyone's progress intently and obviously noticed me jump out of line. He scowled at me and looked as I'd he was about to shout, I supposed it would have looked a little disobedient. His expression quickly changed though, as I went over to the other group, he smirked instead.

"What are you doing? A male archer asked in amazement as I approached him.

"Hello, I'm Zoe," I said, not looking at him but focusing on my arrow.

"Glad you joined us, you looked strange over there without armour," a girl said, walking up to me with a grin.

"I have to agree, are you really good with a bow then?" The boy added, relaxing, and I noticed he was smiling too.

"What makes you think that?" I replied.

The girl answered, "it's your first war games, you have to be good if they're already letting you join us. I'm Louise by the way."

"And I'm her half-brother John, nice to meet you Zoe," the boy, John, added.

"You're not really my half-brother and you're not really John either," Louise said to him in a teasing manner.

"What do you mean?" I asked, in a likely too serious voice.

"Well I'm a descendent of Apollo but she's actually one of his daughters - not that it matters," John replied, frowning playfully.

I rolled my eyes, they did act like siblings. Still they were more relaxed than the rest of the legion, in their formation. We were nearly within range of the fortress now and I could probably make a fairly decent shot from this distance.

"Don't listen to him! His real name is actual Julius," Louise said, in mock seriousness. I smiled.

"You're not supposed to tell anyone! I'm John, alright?" John replied.

"Doesn't Julius suit you?" I said ironically.

"No! It's not my fault my dad called me that."

"Boys. Complaining about the most ridiculous things," I said, but was smiling at their antics.

Louise laughed. "And I have to put up with him every day."

I took out a different arrow while I held the first in my other hand and readied my bow once we were close enough. I aimed and shot. The arrow flew through the air and I aimed the first arrow.

They watched me. "Were you aiming for the ballista?" Louise asked, that's where my arrow had flown.

"Yes."

"Well I'm not sure that you'll be able to damage it, you'd be better off aiming for the campers operating it," John said seriously.

"Don't worry about it," I replied and looked over at them, "aren't you going to attack?"

They looked slightly irritated but got out their bows too. Meanwhile I released the arrow and grinned as it flew through the air. For I'd been slowly enchanting it, which was only a little tiring and I could do a few more arrows if necessary.

There was a small explosion in the walls as my enchanted arrow hit the ballista, destroying it and blasting back some of the defenders, they were caught off guard by it.

John and Louise looked at me in surprise. "How did you do that?" John asked.

"Exploding arrow. Not very big but the fire multiplied the damage which was why it was destroyed," I said smoothly.

"That's awesome!" John replied.

"Do you have any more of these arrows?" Louise asked with excitement.

"I can make another," I said, taking out another arrow.

"You can make them?" She said, impressed.

"It's quite easy, every demigod has some godly power, I just put some of it into the arrow and willed it to explode," I explained.

I decided against another enchantment, instead I unleashed a flurry of arrows on various defenders. Louise and John did likewise, choosing to test out enchantments later.

I think we managed to cause some confusion and trouble for the defenders and their archers were fortunately aimed at the main force so overall it was a successful fight for us. In the end our side did indeed invade and capture their flag too, so it was a good match all round.

* * *

"You're not a bad shot," a voice said behind me as I was walking back.

It was Gwen. She was frowning at me. Ah, she was probably still angry about me leaving her side.

"Thanks?" I said uncertainly.

"You shouldn't have just left without telling me," she said, obviously referring to the battle.

"I apologise," I replied calmly, perhaps too calmly.

She scowled at me, "I'm supposed to be looking out for you, don't you want me to?"

Gwen was definitely angry. "Gwen... I am sorry, I had no intention of upsetting you," I said sincerely, hoping to appease her.

"You're so serious and independent, Zoe. I can't bear it," she said, with frustration.

"Gwen?"

She took a deep breath. "If you need anything I'm around but otherwise... find someone else to hang around with," Gwen said, with trouble, before turning and walking away.

She was leaving me? Had I upset her that much? Perhaps she been unhappy earlier and had hid it from me, now she was just being blunt. Maybe she was bored or taking care of me and she was just using this as an excuse, I couldn't be sure.

Whatever the reason, I'd driven her away. What should I do now?

* * *

Jason was standing outside my sleeping quarters when I got back.

"I heard your argument with Gwen," Jason said, as I approached.

"It wasn't an argument and how?" I replied, a little annoyed.

Jason shrugged. "I didn't want you to see me. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I snarled, I didn't want pity.

"Good. Will you be alright on your own?"

Did he think I was helpless without Gwen? Well, he may just be innocently concerned, which I could deal with. I rolled my eyes at him, "of course."

"I'm sure Gwen will have forgotten this by tomorrow, she was probably overreacting," he said.

"Possibly." I couldn't be sure, I didn't really know her that well'

"Anyway, you did well today. I noticed you taking out that ballista, I'd love to find out where you learned to fight," Jason said, kindly but clearly wanting answers.

I wasn't going to give him any however. "It is in the past. I've left it behind to come here," I replied.

Jason moved closer to me. "Yes, but who are you? Are you saying it doesn't matter?"

"My name is Zoe Nightshade, I was a hunter but now I am a Roman," I responded, daring him to contradict. People couldn't know anything else about me, they didn't even know that Greeks existed here.

"You don't fight much like a Roman."

"Are you saying I don't fight well?" I replied angrily. He was a boy and just like every other boy, he was underestimating me?

"You didn't wish to fight in the legion but ran away to shoot arrows, you're not bad but not the most Roman," Jason explained with annoyance.

"I did not run. Joining the archers was the best thing I could do to suit my abilities," I said, coldly. Around us, I was aware of others campers walking past us.

"Maybe. I still know nothing about you," Jason replied steadily.

"And I know nothing about you either!" I retorted loudly.

That one seemed to catch him off guard. "...I suppose you don't. Well, I'm Jason Grace, preator of the twelfth legion. I've lived here since I was three. A few weeks ago I defeated the titan Krios and saved Olympus," he said, proudly.

I hadn't heard that before. I paused before replying more calmly, "that is admirable. But I still don't really know you. To know anyone takes time." And it would take more than defeating monsters to impress me.

"Perhaps you're right," Jason mused. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "But we'll have time. Good night, Zoe."

And Jason smiled gently at me, before turning and walking away. I wasn't sure what to think of him, but he hadn't been terrible so far. Would he be like a replacement for Gwen or something else? I did hope it wasn't something else.

* * *

And that was the last time I saw Jason, at least for a long time.

* * *

**Arlight what did you think of that chapter? I liked John and Louise so I may use them again. I know they're OCs but there's not many characters to choose from. **

**Anyway, yes Jason did disappear so I'm not shipping Jason/Zoe.**

**AS half-bloods all seem to have some sort of magical powers I thought, it'd be possible for them to put magic in arrows and weapons though it would tire them out. That's what Zoe was doing during the battle anyway, she made Percy's sword so I'd imagine she's good at enchantments.**

**Gwen is a little annoyed right now but will calm down.**

**That's quite a few notes for this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it. Please do review with your ideas. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Suspicion

**Hey there! Thanks for the reviews! Yes Frank will appear in this story, as will Nico though Hazel won't and unfortunately Jason won't turn up again any time soon. It will still be a while before Percy appears, sorry it's a bit slow! Eventually I do plan on them being in a relationship but not immediately and he's not going to just disregard Annabeth. I dislike those stories where Annabeth cheats on Percy, it's out of character and seems like an easy way to end their relationship.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you like it!**

* * *

My day started out normally, it was the weekend so no one was really working, I woke up early, as is usual for me but did very little until going down to breakfast an hour later. Then Reyna came to find me.

I noticed her looking around the tables, her face etched with worry before spotting me and she walked over to where I sat. "Good morning, Zoe," she said uncomfortably.

I wondered why she had come over to find me, I thought it might have had something to do with Gwen, whom I hadn't seen since we argued last night. "Good morning?" I replied, uncertainly.

"Okay, when did you last see Jason?" She asked, or rather demanded. Had something happened to him?

"Last night, after the war games, we talked a bit," I replied honestly. "Why?"

Reyna looked at me intently. "You saw him after the war games?" She spoke quietly. Then she grabbed my arm and motioned for me to stand up. "Come we must speak somewhere more private."

I left the pavilion with Reyna and she led me to her office, where I'd introduced myself when I first arrived. Clearly this was a serious issue, either he'd gone missing... or maybe he'd lost his mind.

"Jason has disappeared, the last time I saw him was during the war games last night, he can't have just walked out of the camp and yet there's no sign of him anywhere," Reyna explained the situation without emotion.

Well at least he hadn't gone mad. "Are you entirely certain he's missing?" I replied carefully. It had only been a few hours after all.

"Well, I've been looking for him all morning, we were going to have a discussion this morning - not of anything of great importance - but he didn't turn up," she replied. "If he doesn't turn up by this time tomorrow we'll have to call a Senate meeting."

"Okay, so no one has seen him since last night?" I asked.

"I've asked a few people, one girl said she thought she saw Jason talking to you, and it seems that you're the last person who's seen him. Do you know where he went? What did you talk to him about? These dogs will know if you lie," Reyna said, eyeing me with suspicion.

I glanced at the gold and silver dogs, watching me for lies. "He was merely praising my performance in the war games. I don't know where he went, I thought he was going to his quarters," I said a little defensively, truthfully we'd talked about more than the war games but hopefully the dogs wouldn't notice.

The dogs growled but they seemed to accept what I'd said as the truth, as they didn't attack me. Reyna also glared at me in suspicion, or was it desperation? She obviously needed answers but unfortunately I didn't have them.

"Very well," Reyna said , not satisfied with my answer, probably just disappointed, the two were obviously close.

"Oh Zoe?" Reyna said as I was turning to leave. "Don't mention Jason's disappearance to anyone, if he's still missing tomorrow, then I'll tell the camp myself." Reyna sounded sad, preparing for the worst. "And you'll attend the Senate meeting."

I nodded and, with that news, walked away. Jason was missing. No one had seen him. No one had an explanation for this. Nothing. And I had just been getting to know him as well. Why did every decent boy I met have to disappear after a few days?

Well I could count the number of boys I could tolerate on one hand and it was me who'd died just as I was getting to know Percy Jackson. Wait, Jason couldn't be dead, could he? I had absolutely no way of knowing. But I couldn't get the idea out of my mind: an image of evil arrows pumping poison into his body so that he'd never move again.

I was jumping to conclusions. Anyway, I hadn't known him very well, in fact he could've turned out to be vile; quite likely. No, I should judge him based on how he had acted so far and he'd been respectful despite our differing views.

Why was I assuming that they would never find him? He could very well be alive and could even appear by the end of the day.

He didn't.

* * *

The next morning, Reyna found me and I had to come with her to the Senate meeting, Jason hadn't been found yet.

We walked to New Rome and passed Terminus, the God of boundaries, whom I still hadn't asked about death yet, maybe he'd be able to tell me whether or not Jason was alive. Or I could ask a child of Hades, it's possible they could know. If there were even sons of Hades around.

As we were speaking to Terminus and he was telling us to neaten ourselves up, Gwen walked over to us. We hadn't spoken at all yesterday.

"Hey Zoe, you're going to the meeting too?" Gwen sounded fairly sad and for once wasn't smiling.

"Yes."

"Well, sorry about giving you a hard time the other night..." She said awkwardly, before giving a very forced and pained smile. She must have taken the news of Jason leaving very hard.

I nodded and carried on walking as Reyna handed over her weapon to Terminus. We walked in silence.

* * *

"A meeting has been called as our Praetor, Jason Grace, had gone missing. We have waited an appropriate amount of time and has not yet appeared. We are here to discuss what may have happened she what we should do now," Reyna began the meeting in a clear, formal voice. She gave the appearance of a strong leader and did not show her emotions to the audience.

I sat near the front of the modestly sized hall, feeling out of place in ordinary clothes while everyone else wore togas. Why did I always feel out of place? I never felt like that while with the hunters.

"When did he disappear?" Someone asked, his voice sounding hushed in the silent hall.

"He was last seen just after the war games two nights previously," Reyna replied.

"Who last saw him?" The blonde boy, Octavian asked.

Reyna paused for just a second, hesitating? "The new camper, Zoe Nightshade."

Everyone seemed to know where I was as they all turned to look at me, well it felt like everyone. Octavian smirked at me from where he stood. I kept my face neutral but why did everyone look at me with suspicion?

"So," Octavian began, "the new girl, whom we know nothing about, and will tell us nothing about herself, was the last to see Jason? Does that not seem suspicious?"

Was he accusing me of something? They thought I could be responsible for his disappearance? Had Reyna suspected me yesterday? I knew nothing of Jason's disappearance.

Reyna was studying me thoughtfully. "We have little reason to suspect Zoe. She has displayed no antagonism towards anyone since she has come to camp," Reyna stated in a calm voice.

Octavian continued to smile however. "If she has come here with dishonest intentions, then she wouldn't act overly suspicious, would she? And she's already mentioned early that she had been trained before coming here. Where could she have been trained? I'm not trying to blame her but we must be cautious!" He said coolly; he had a very persuasive voice and many nodded in agreement.

I hadn't told him anything about the hunters, but Gwen had mentioned that he was well connected. Someone much have told him. He was obviously very clever so why did he want to blame me for Jason's disappearance? I had hardly interacted with him so far and didn't see anything he could gain from this. He was infuriating and this was cruel.

I stood up, to defend myself. "I do not know how Jason disappeared. I am genuinely upset about it. Please don't blame me, we should look for other explanations and indeed what we ought to do about this," I said, not everyone would listen but it was best to say something.

Reyna nodded. "Yes. We should send out some scouts to look for him of course... and if we don't find him, we shall elect a new Preator in a year, at the feast of Fortuna. Are we agreed?"

The meeting continued for another half hour, I did not say anything else though and while they mentioned me a few more times, they did discuss other things. However, I'm sure many people still suspected me, I don't think Reyna trusted me even if she thought I was innocent. I wasn't even sure if Gwen trusted me.

* * *

I was relieved to leave and wandered around New Rome trying not to worry about what everyone would think of me. Did that really matter? This was a hard task however, I hadn't been accused of anything like this in a long time. In the hunt, I had been trusted, but not here.

John and Louise, the archers, found me as I was walking alone and asked if I could show them the exploding arrow trick. I said yes, perhaps because they hadn't heard anything about Jason yet, so they couldn't suspect me, and did seem to have some respect for my abilities.

They both turned out to know a little about their powers and though they'd never channelled it through arrows before, they learned fast. Well John learned fast, after a few attempts he managed to get the arrow to burst into flames as he released it.

Louise had more trouble, not putting enough magic into her arrows, but after John's success she fared slightly better, not wanting to look weak in comaprison. She eventually managed to get her arrow to glow as she released it though I honestly did not see any purpose for a glowing arrow. Oh well, it was better than a healing arrow, the thought of one of those just made me cringe.

So my day was far from boring or miserable. Archery was a very calming thing. Until I got to dinner. People turned their heads just to glare at me. One girl ran away from me in horror. Though there was no proof, they obviously thought I was guilty. At least they weren't doing anything about it yet. I feared that would happen soon. I wanted to avoid fights, if possible.

The hostile looks wore me out far faster than enchanting arrows with my own energy had. I was soon frustrated and angry. Why did this have to happen? Just after I arrived. What had happened to Jason?

I had to do something about this, but I was incapable of persuading a crowd to think I was innocent and that's essentially all that could be done - apart from solving the mystery myself. Well who could persuade a crowd? It seemed there was one person at this - Octavian. I needed to talk to him. I didn't like him, but it would be undeniably useful to have him on my side.

* * *

**That's it! What do you think? Too many subplots? Sorry, I love them. So please do review, thanks for reading!**


	7. Contradiction

**Hey there! Here's another chapter, where Zoe speaks to Octavian, she's a little annoyed.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

I woke up early the next morning, a Monday, in order to visit Octavian before I started working. Just like the first day, he was standing in front of the Altar in the temple of Jupiter and holding a sharp knife and a stuffed animal. He looked to be praying to the gods and I waited until he'd finished to announce my presence.

"Good morning," I greeted him softly.

Octavian turned around and, upon seeing me, his expression morphed into a smirk. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" He said, in a mocking tone. Obviously he knew why I'd come.

Another advantage of waking up early was that no one else was around and the temple was empty save for us. I saw no reason not to be blunt with him, perhaps he'd be a little honest back.

"Why did you blame me? Have I upset you in any way?" I asked him carefully. One rule for these sorts of people was that they always had a reason for everything they did.

He feigned surprise. "Blame you? I was merely informing the Senate of my concerns as any honest citizen should do," he replied innocently.

I tried not to roll my eyes at the word 'honest'. "I am no fool," I said with conviction. "You could have remained silent but you choose not to, why?"

"You're wrong," he said more seriously, "I couldn't have remained silent and I know absolutely nothing about you."

"Then why did you tell everyone that I was to blame for Jason's disappearance?" I demanded.

Octavian shrugged, "I had to accuse someone, of course," he replied as if it was obvious. It could be fairly obvious if I knew precisely what Octavian's aims were.

"Shouldn't you be trying to find him though? What could you gain from this accusation?" I asked. My questions probably didn't sound intelligent enough, but I hoped he'd take me seriously.

"When there's trouble someone had to stand up to keep order, and I did," Octavian replied. Well he seemed to be humouring me, at least.

But I was sure he had other motives, he had a reputation at this camp and I doubted he'd done this to me out of the kindness of his heart. And was having a scapegoat (which it seemed I was), really a good way to keep order?

"And what will you do if Jason turns up in a few days and you were completely wrong?" I asked, leaning against the wall.

Octavian's smile seemed a little more menacing. "I've been looking," he said, gesturing to his altar. "And I can tell you that Jason won't return any time soon."

I frowned. "Is he dead?" I asked uncertainly. Not only could he be dead but I was being blamed for it.

"I cannot tell unfortunately, but it's possible. And even if he isn't, he may be soon because of monsters," Octavian said, not seeming to care.

"So it would be wise to find him quickly," I replied, standing straighter.

"Yes, but we're unlikely to have any success."

He seemed to be thinking practically although coldly, without emotion. I was beginning to believe that he didn't hold any particular dislike for me, that I was just a convenient tool though. But it just made me more furious if he knew I hadn't done anything

"So, do you seriously think that I was responsible for Jason's disappearance?" I asked, managing to sound calm.

"I think that's very unlikely but not impossible," he replied. "You actually seem to care about him."

I smiled in success though I was still angry with him. "So will you help me to persuade everyone of my innocence?" I was sure he'd be able to, as he was very charismatic, though I doubted he would .

He confirmed what I'd thought. "No, I'm afraid I can't do that, you'll have to forgive me," he smiled at me more brightly, I thought he smiled a bit too much.

"Are you suggesting that helping me would interfere with your plans?" I said with frustration. Despite how unhelpful he was being, I was glad to have spoken with him.

"I wouldn't want to contradict myself," he replied cheerfully. "I've already declared you guilty and I can't just change my mind."

"Well is there any other way you could help me without contradicting yourself or is that not in your interests either?" I growled.

"You're very suspicious of me," he noted.

"Would you not agree that it's justified?"

"Perhaps. But remember, my ultimate goal is for the camp to prosper," Octavian replied, possibly a little offended.

"With a few sacrifices along the way?"

"Naturally."

"So how do you expect to achieve this prosperity? What can you do?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable with his uncaring attitude.

He didn't answer immediately but took a step towards the wall and leant against it. "Why should I tell you?" He said.

I frowned, I hadn't finished talking to him yet, hopefully he'd say a little more. "I want the camp to prosper as well, and you're not a fool."

Wait, did I just offer to help Octavian? I'd definitely implied that we had the same goals but I didn't want to help him, the fact that he was a boy would just make it worse. Maybe he wouldn't accept though.

He considered it an offer. "Thanks. If you must know, I'd like to become the next Praetor, where I can help the camp the best," he replied.

No wonder he wasn't sad to see Jason go. But he was too proud and too manipulative, for me to be sure he'd actually be beneficial to the camp.

"I'm not sure I can support you yet," I replied bluntly. Or ever.

"I don't want you to support me yet, that would be another contradiction but we could speak again, if you'd like?" Octavian said with a calculating look.

I shrugged, I didn't have any good reason to say no and it wouldn't be particularly to offend him, he had already made my life difficult. Maybe he'd be able to tell me more.

"Good," he said, taking that as agreement. "Let's talk again here, the same time next week, okay?"

The rest of my day was uneventful. People tended to avoid me if they recognised me and not too many did. Things went worse in my first swordfighting lesson though, they all knew who the new girl was.

Apparently we had these lessons every Monday and on Tuesday I could do archery while most people did some sort of legionaire practice on other days. Anyway it didn't go well.

I was of course, very accomplished with a sword and disarmed my first opponent in a short time. People looked at me in shock and they began muttering. I was just confirming the accusations.

My next opponent was more skilled and the fight lasted longer and we both realised that we had completely different styles. I find it impossible to predict what my opponent would do but it was the same for him and I eventually managed to disarm him as well.

By the end of the session I think everyone in the room was convinced of my guilt.

Louise and John (who apparently never left each other's sight) were both initially suspicious too, they'd by now heard the news.

But after I told them that I was innocent, they accepted that and even ate lunch with me. I was glad not to be on my own again and it was good to have some friends.

"Everyone is, like, staring at us, Zoe," Louise complained as we ate.

"Yeah, shouldn't everyone be avoiding us if we're eating with you?" John asked, though they weren't annoyed. They just complained for fun.

"Just the opposite, unfortunately. Unless I glare at anyone, in which they do avoid contact," I replied feeling comfortable sitting with them, far more comfortable than when talking with Octavian.

"Have you tested this out?" John replied.

"Do you think it'll work if I glare?" Louise asked.

"Maybe if you hold your streak knife menacingly?" John suggested.

"Or if you get accused of causing a Praetor to disappear," I added with irritation.

"Hmmm... do you think I can get anyone to believe I made Jason disappear?" Louise said, considering my suggestion when a grin.

"Yeah, just anger Octavian," I said.

"But he's like our brother," John said in mock horror.

"Not really, he's like only a descendant so we're barely related," Louise said. "And you're not really my brother either!"

They began arguing and over the past few days, I'd learned that they had this argument a lot.

In the evening, Gwen found me and made sure I knew that she knew that I was innocent. She said she wanted to support me but I told her that she didn't need to.

She was well respected at camp and I didn't want her to lose it because of me. Gwen had other friends and even a boyfriend so it was best if we didn't act too friendly. It was a shame to have to do this but I would be fine, even if I was disliked, and I had already made a few other friends who really didn't care if I was suspicious or not. I wouldn't be too lonely though I was possible I'd begin to miss Gwen..

Still, after talking to her, I felt like our previous fight was just a memory and hoped we could be agreeable when we talked in the future.

* * *

**So what did you think? Was Octavian in character? I tried to make him seem a little more sympathetic, just a little, and of course he's supposed to be charismatic and naturally persuasive. I found him hard to write actually, writing with John and Louise is much easier, maybe it's because they're OCs. Do tell me if you don't like them though. **

**I need to pick up the pace a bit in story but I want my characters to be nice and developed and there's a few more to introduce too. But I love subplots...**

**So if you have any feedback, please do review! Thanks for reading!**


	8. Details

**Hey there, here's another chapter and it has Octavian again and no Percy, sorry! I know you've been asking for it so I posted another story entitled Talking to a shadow, it's not related and it's just a percy/zoe oneshot but Percy won't be coming in for a while in this story so read it if you're interested. I can't guarentee it's good.**

**Anyway, here is the next chapter and do tell me if I still need to make Zoe more intelligent, I like criticisms and feedback.**

* * *

Octavian had made my life here much harder than it really needed to be. I would've been content to have been completely unknown at camp, perhaps slowly gaining a little respect due to my experience. Instead, thanks to him, everything I did was looked upon with suspicion and any skills I showed were evidence against me. And he didn't particularly care.

When I'd meet with him, he described it as a sacrifice for the good of the camp but really it was a way to further his own aims. I could see that now and he didn't appear to feel any guilt for it, though since he generally had an unreadable face, it wasn't a great indicator.

However there wasn't really much I could do about it, I think people would be suspicious of me no matter what I did. I might be able to wreck his carefully laid plans to set himself up for Praetor, but for what? Revenge that won't improve my situation? What if he was the ideal candidate for the next Praetor?

I hadn't met anyone so far who would be much better than Octavian and if I helped him then he might help me. If I became his enemy, he could likely find some way to make my situation worse.

Still, I refused to be intimidated by him, sure in our last meeting I had implied that I would support him but that wasn't in any way binding and I could change my mind. I didn't think he'd retaliate in any way as he hadn't appeared keen on me supporting him anyway. Even if he did try something, what was the worst he could do? And if he did, I would do everything in my power to prevent him from being Praetor, that was a decent threat, wasn't it?

So there was a lot to consider with people like Octavian which was why I rarely liked dealing with them. Of course there was something delightful about all of it as well, it was like a game with high stakes and high rewards.

I'd learned that chances were, another Praetor wouldn't be elected for several months, assuming Jason didn't return, which was unlikely. So I had time and would be fine if I didn't commit myself to Octavian, but didn't act hostile towards him either.

I was think of all this as I walked to meet up with him, as we'd planned a week previously. I entered and, as expected, Octavian was alone and had been waiting for me.

"Good morning, how are you?" He greeted me politely.

"Horrible, everyone keeps glaring at me for some reason," I replied, wondering if he could act sympathetic.

He only chuckled at my reply so probably not. "You're exaggerating, most people just avoid you and its not like you're utterly alone."

He had a point, the last week hadn't been that bad even if I was getting far too much attention. I did hate being blamed though, especially as I was already upset about Jason's disappearance.

"If these are your methods then I'm not sure if you'll be a very good Praetor," I replied furiously however.

He stopped smiling and looked at me seriously. "I care about the camp as a whole, whereas you seem to only care about yourself and a little suffering," he said coldly.

He was calling me selfish? I tried to calm myself down though, he was probably just trying to get me angry.

"You see the forest, not the trees," I said quietly. "Be careful with how much you sacrifice for your aims; someone will rise up and kill you in revenge."

"I'm sure I will anticipate it," Octavian replied, dismissing the danger.

I clenched my fists, irritated that he wasn't taking my advice seriously. I was listening to him, and I had considered how the camp has benefited from the order in having just one person to blame for what happened to Jason. I couldn't see many benefits. Though it had definitely helped Octavian and he was calling me selfish.

"You will overestimate yourself. I'm sure you have great intentions but actions speak louder than words," I advised him, keeping my anger hidden.

"You certainly appear wise, don't you Zoe? Quoting adages, well they're just words," he said, a little defensively, I thought.

Maybe I did need to prove myself somehow though, and not just to Octavian. I could show the camp a reason not to hate me, a reason to accept me. If I do genuinely kind and helpful things then maybe people will respect me. In fact, that was probably why Louise and John were my friends - as I'd shown them how to enchant arrows.

"Very well," I replied, "what shall I do?"

Octavian looked at me in surprise, apparently not expecting me to agree so easily. After a moment he spoke however, "you could go on a quest, well a journey, for supplies for the camp."

That was a little larger than I had agreed to do but perhaps Octavian didn't understand the idea of little acts of kindness, only big acts. But it would be undeniably useful as I remembered how the camp was low on gold and Reyna's Pegasus, Scipio, was the only Pegasus at camp. I wouldn't mind hunting for some more.

"I will do it then. Where can I get permission to leave the camp?" I said, becoming excited by the prospect of seeking out Pegasi.

Octavian grinned, possibly scheming in order to find a way to take credit for my deeds, if he did then he clearly hadn't listened to me and I would lose all respect I had for him. Of course he could be thinking of something else entirely.

"I'll tell Reyna, don't worry about that, you won't need much, will you?"

"A little food and supplies preferably," I replied, though I could've managed with less.

"Excellent, you stay here and I'll get anything you need, you can leave within an hour," he said eagerly and began moving.

Well that was quick. "Wait, tell everyone I'm going in aid of the camp, not some ridiculous lie or else," I warned him.

He froze and turned to face me. "Don't bother threatening me, I can make your life unpleasant too, dead girl," he threatened with a smirk and I really hoped he didn't... know anything.

"One shall perish by a parent's hand, you can't hide your past from me, I read prophecies," Octavian said, grinning wickedly and I realised he'd been waiting to mention this, he was ready to blackmail me.

Somehow, he knew I used to be dead and he was ready to tell anyone if I didn't listen to him. But I couldn't let him control me like that. I had remembered why I wanted to work with him, but against him though.

"If you cross me, I will cut out your tongue," I declared with a mad grin of my own. "But we can work together."

Octavian considered my threat, trying to figure out if I would follow through with it but I didn't even know if I would. "Very well," he said, "we can with together."

Because it seems that the alternative would be to destroy ourselves and I wasn't one to be defeated with any ease.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps from behind us, someone was coming in! There was no time to disappear so I turned to face the newcomer. It was a pale, dark-haired boy that seemed very familiar, had I met him before?

"Ah! It's the ambassador of Pluto, he visits the camp sometimes, Zoe," Octavian said, looking pleased that it was him.

The boy stared at me, he clearly knew me - I must have seen him before somewhere.

"Zoe? Zoe Nightshade? What are you doing here?" He said in a stunned voice.

Octavian was surprised too, "have you met Nico di Angelo before?"

* * *

**So Nico has entered the story, and next chapter Zoe will leave camp for a while next chapter, I want to get this story moving. Thanks for reading and please do review!**

**By the way 'She could not see the forest for the trees' is an adage/saying meaning being too focused on details and not the whole picture. Zoe says the inverse, that Octavian is too focused on the bigger picture to notice the individual trees.**


	9. Nostalgic

**Hey there, here's another update. This chapter wasn't easy to write but I hope you like it. Also I've changed the summary of the story, hopefully it sounds a little better.**

* * *

Di Angelo. I knew that name. He was probably related to Bianca! However she was dead, unfortunately, and I didn't remember her having any siblings. No, wait, I did remember a younger brother but he had been nothing like the boy standing in front of me.

She had become a hunter and left her brother at camp half-blood. The boy had been really excited and hyper, small and innocent. Then I'd left on a quest with Bianca along with Percy, Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and a Satyr named Grover. He had been left arty camp. I barely remembered meeting him but Nico definitely remembered me.

This boy who was allegedly Nico di Angelo looked suspicious and dangerous, and had a certain aura of darkness around him - a figurative aura, I sensed no magic around him. He didn't strike me as innocent. Of course his primary expression at this moment was shock.

"-Zoe?" Octavian was calling to me, I had been too absorbed in my thoughts to notice him speaking.

"Yes?" I asked. What had happened to Nico in the last few years?

"Do you two know each other then?" He said and it was obvious that he was shaken by the sudden turn of events. He was slowly regaining composure, however.

"I think we've met, though it must have been a few years ago," I said, uncertain. Then I addressed Nico, "do you have a sister? Named Bianca?"

Nico looked uncomfortable. "She's dead," he said in a tense voice. We fell silent at his grave words.

I shouldn't have mentioned her. It was cruel and careless of me, especially as he certainly seemed to miss her, it was quite likely that it was still a very painful issue for him. I had known she was dead after all.

"Sorry."

Nico nodded, accepting my apology. "So how did you get here? Why are you alone with Octavian of all people?" He asked, changing the subject.

I frowned. "I can't be sure," I began, and added for Octavian's benefit, "yes, I was dead if you were wondering."

Octavian smiled at my confirmation of what he thought he knew, and gestured for me to continue. However, I quickly remembered that I shouldn't say too much to Octavian, or Nico for that matter, as eager as I was to tell someone. It would be nice to get a few answers.

"First of all though, why are you here?" I asked Nico rather than explaining anything else.

"I visit here from time to time - you can't have been here very long," Nico began, but clearly had more to say.

I didn't think many Greek demigods interacted with Romans, in fact I knew not but many did. I was certain that everyone around me was Roman though I wouldn't be able to explain why. Few even seemed to know the existence of another camp and Greeks were the same. What was special about Nico?

"Nearly two weeks," I replied.

"And you have a reason for appearing now?" Octavian inquired.

"Yes, I'm looking for a missing demigod, Percy Jackson," Nico replied, careful not to mention the other camp in front of Octavian.

Percy Jackson? Was Nico close to him? I'd been getting to know him before dying and he was a reminder of all my missed opportunities. Why was it that when I thought about my regrets, his face always appeared in my mind? I hadn't got to know him but I should've.

Now I had a chance to live again so that next time when I died, maybe I would have no regrets.

Nico had also reminded me that I hadn't really been dead for that long, a few years perhaps but not that long. When I'd arrived, I hadn't recognised a single person, it was like I didn't have a past to worry about. But here was someone who remembered me.

"When did he go missing?" I asked.

"Nine days ago, he disappeared in the night," Nico replied, unhappily.

But that was the day Jason disappeared. I glanced at Octavian, who was watching the both of us with interest. It would've been better if I could've talked to Nico on my own, Octavian was dangerous with information. I dreaded finding out what he could do with the news that I used to be dead. Hopefully not too much.

Well then, how could I get rid of Octavian? Actually he'd given me the perfect excuse already.

"Right, I was going on a sort of quest now, why don't you come with me?" I invited him. We'd be away from Octavian and I would have someone to help me out.

Nico looked interested in the idea. "What kind of quest?"

"It hardly deserves to be called a quest," Octavian said in a dismissive tone. "It's more like a shopping trip, for the camp."

Octavian was fairly quick thinking. He wanted to quiz Nico himself the moment I left, most likely. So he was trying to dissuade him from coming with me.

"He's not here," I said, referring to Percy, I was not going to allow Octavian to persuade Nico to stay, not when he could have some enlightening information for me. If he was looking for Percy, I wanted to help him anyway. "But we can look for him while we're travelling."

Nico looked at me oddly, was he unnerved by my what I said? But after a moment he nodded, agreeing to come with me. "Okay. So, did you come here to get a prophecy from Octavian?" He asked, looking at the both of us.

Octavian laughed. "I don't give prophecies out for small unimportant missions, Zoe is just in a spot of trouble and I'm generously helping her out," he said, implying that he hadn't caused the trouble in the first place.

I glared at him but figured that I could explain things properly to Nico later; right now it was probably best to leave before Octavian could come up with an excuse for us to stay.

"Let's go then," I said.

* * *

There wasn't many ways out of the camp and the front entrance was heavily guarded so there wasn't any chance for us to leave without being noticed, unfortunately. Octavian had given me a slip of paper which he assured me, would allow me to leave but still, it would be annoying.

And I didn't entirely trust Octavian.

We wanted to leave in a professional manner however, it would probably bad for news to spread throughout the camp saying I'd run off. So hopefully Octavian hadn't done anything. They certainly couldn't stop Nico from leaving, but if he disappeared all the time anyway.

"Zoe? What are you doing here?" A voice called above me. I sighed as I turned around, it was Louise, standing with her bow, on a fairly low archer tower. Why did she have to be guarding the walls today?

"I just agreed to run an errand, I'll be back in a few days," I called back, before turning again to continue. It would be better if we could leave sooner.

"A few days? What are you-" Louise said with confusion, but I ignored her and continued forward.

Nico was glancing at me with curiosity, as we approached the tunnel, leading out of the camp. We would have plenty to talk about when we were on our own.

A heavily armoured boy blocked our way out though. I just handed him the slip of paper and tried to continue but he wouldn't move until he'd read it. I'd already checked it but it was possible that Octavian had worded it in such a way that the guard wouldn't let us through.

"These are orders, for me to let one Zoe Nightshade leave the camp on the condition that she returns within a few days, is that you?" The guard said, with a frown at me, suggesting he already knew who I was.

I rolled my eyes, wondering how they could possibly make me return within a few days. "Yes, that's me."

"Very well then, you may leave," he said, allowing me to pass but continued to glare suspiciously.

I thought that had gone well until the annoying guard prevented Nico from following me. "There are no orders to let you pass," he said, with a sinister smile.

I had assumed Nico wouldn't need written instructions to leave. I was beginning to hate this guard she wasn't thinking fondly of Octavian either. "He's my companion on this quest," I said angrily.

"And in not technically part of the legion therefore, I have the right to leave any time I want," Nico added calmly, though he looked irritated as well.

So the guard did let him through, maybe Octavian just hadn't bothered messing with us or had made a rather poor attempt at it.

Well, it was good to leave here, even if it was only for a few days. I was getting excited.

* * *

**That's it, hope you liked reading it, so the quest will actually start next chapter, this one introduced Nico. So please do give your feedback if you have any comments or anything.**


	10. Adventure

**Hello there all,**

**It's been a long time since I've updated this, I know. I'll try and continue with weekly updates after this long hiatus but I haven't abandoned it yet! Anyway, any feedback you have is definitely appreciated. **

* * *

"So..." Nico broke the silence.

I glanced at Nico, we'd been walking for several minutes just to put some distance between us and the camp but we hadn't discussed what we were going to do. I didn't have a plan, my main objective for the last hour had been to leave efficiently and I'd done that.

"How did you find the Roman camp?" I asked him however, I wasn't extremely worried about completing the quest at this moment.

Nico stopped walking, we'd simply been walking alongside the road and cars frequently passed us. There wasn't any benches nearby to sit down on so we stayed standing.

"I've done a lot of exploring in the last few years, and I'm always finding different passages from the underworld," Nico explained.

I frowned, why didn't he live at camp? It was dangerous to be travelling alone, monsters could attack you in your sleep. And in the underworld? The living should avoid it at all costs, it was a gloomy and miserable place and it was so easy to die and be trapped there forever.

"And how did you get here?" Nico asked me.

He'd asked me this earlier. "I don't know why I'm alive and I don't know why I was led to camp Jupiter but I'm trying to find out, and I'm going to try and help the camp," I said, feeling determined. I wanted to help, that was why I was on this mission now.

"So are these supplies we're getting really special and important then?" He said, suddenly excited.

Maybe I'd sounded too bold there. "Only normal supplies, but they were running low on everything and they only had one Pegasus in the entire camp," I answered.

"Oh, well Pegasus don't like me," Nico mumbled his excitement turning to dread.

Really? As far as I knew Pegasi could tolerate most demigods. Unless he was really exaggerating and they were fine with him (which was possible but he sounded quite serious), he had either offended the immortal Pegasus himself, I hoped not, or he was the son of Hades.

Actually, he looked like a son of Hades, now that I thought of it, with the pale complexion, dark hair and a serious expression. In fact it seemed obvious now, why hasn't I realised it sooner?

"You're a child of Hades?" I asked to confirm.

"Oh you didn't know? Yeah, I am," he replied. A nervous tone entered his voice. "You still want me on your quest?"

Actually Bianca had probably been one too, which explained how she had managed to kill those skeleton soldiers on the quest. Oh. Nico was worried that I didn't like Hades.

I wasn't fond of him but Nico's powers would be undeniably useful though it could make the Pegasi a little more troublesome.

"Of course, are you able to shadow travel?"

"Yes, though carrying more than one person would really tire me out," he replied, with more confidence.

I didn't fancy trying to catch wild Pegasi, I'd probably injure them for there was no easy way to catch a flying target. So that meant either trading or stealing was the best thing to do. So Mount Olympus would be best.

"Lovely, I'll keep it in mind but could you take us to Mount Olympus now?"

Nico shrugged. "Alright."

He grabbed my arm. I knew it was required for this method of transport but I couldn't like it - not that it was particularly uncomfortable or anything, but my mind was an expert at creating tension when it came to boys. It would be wonderful if I was simply able to relax.

Anyway, we started running towards a nearby shadow created by a tall tree. It felt a little unnatural to be running into such a solid looking object with no intention of slowing down. But it wasn't the first time I had shadow travelled she my mind easily overrode my instincts.

Instead of a hard impact, we ran straight through the tree into absolute darkness. Then a second later the dark melted away, replaced by a busy street filled with cars and people. The amount of noise was very disorienting after the quiet.

We were in a shadowy alleyway and I could see the Empire state building a head of us. Nico suddenly trembled and I gripped his arm tighter and steadied him to stop him from falling. He really did seem exhausted.

"You alright?" I murmured. I'd learned it was best to keep quiet in densely populated areas as many monsters lived in them. Not that it was especially helpful, seeing as they could always smell me.

"Yeah... just need to... sleep for a few hours?" Nico said, struggling to focus.

I frowned, that had exhausted him more than I'd anticipated. But it wasn't safe to rest here, I'd have to take him up first.

-

On my own again. The plan - though I was mostly making this up as I went along - was to steal the supplies I needed. I could see a shop opposite me had several golden weapons. Now I just needed to see a way to get them.

I entered the shop, aptly named Spoils of war for as well as the gold weapons and some bronze, it contained many dead monster parts. I could see a minotaur horn, teeth and claws from some Dragon-like creatures, hippocampi scales fashioned into armour and much more.

I walked straight up to the shopkeeper, a young woman who smiled at me as I came over.

"Hello, I'm from camp Jupiter and I was wondering where I could get some imperial gold," I said.

The woman looked surprised. "You're Roman? I wouldn't have thought-" she quickly cut herself off. "Never mind! You've come at a good time, there's loads of gold in the market right now."

That was lucky. "That's good, why's there so much?" I asked, something told me I should be suspicious.

"It's really weird, there's this guy who seems to have hoarded loads of it and is suddenly selling it all of it at once," she replied. "I actually bought a gold chair from him."

A good chair? Why would anyone think it was a good idea to build a golden chair? And why would anyone buy one? His could this shop be running with the person in charge impulsively buying golden chair? My mind immediately presented me with a few reasons but I ignored them. This was strangely amusing.

"Well that's lucky, where can I find him?

-

"Go away..." Nico moaned, resisting my gentle attempts to wake up.

"Nico, wake up!" I raised my voice though I wasn't particularly irritated. I was fairly excited.

Eventually he did get up though he didn't stop grumbling and he might've been attempting glare at me. It was hard to tell with him only half awake. Still, I thought he was giving me most of his attention.

"I bring good news about the quest," I began, he nodded to show he was listening.

"We're going to Nebraska to steal some gold!" I said brightly.

Nico look confused. "What." He said this in a flat tone.

"Some person has just appeared with heaps of gold in a mansion in Nebraska - it sounds like Midas, we're going to steal from him!"

"King Midas?" Nico was incredulous, as if that was somehow impossible.

I could see his point of course, but I had a good feeling about this. I had come back to life after all and I was prepared to trust this feeling. Besides, what else was there to do?

"Yes, shall we go?"

"But how could you possibly find something like that out?"

I sighed, why didn't he trust that I had years of experience, maybe I was acting too happy. I just want in the mood for dark and serious right now, not when I had escaped the camp.

"Maybe I was unconsciously using magic on this shop owner to get her to tell me what I needed to know," I suggested. Subtle uses of magic came with time. That use was just so subtle they even I was unaware of it.

"You can do things like that?" Nico asked with great fascination.

I shrugged.

Nico stood up. "So how were we getting there then?"

With Nico here, the best way to get around really was shadow travel. I did this to him. He groaned.

"Don't you have another way to get around, what would you do without me?" That wasn't a rhetorical question. He was genuinely curious.

There was no optical method of transport for demigods however. "I might have tried the labyrinth, it's very dangerous and I can't exactly navigate it, but if I wander round I'm likely to cut off weeks of travel, and I'm good at avoiding death" I said.

Nico made a strange nervous sound. "It's gone."

What? "What?"

"It has been destroyed," he said.

I didn't know what to think. It had always been there, I had only been gone a few years right? How had the works changed so much?

"Wow it's a good thing you're with me then..." I responded, not sure what to think about this development.

Nico nodded, with a far-off look on his face, presumably thinking about when the labyrinth was destroyed. How involved had he been?

"So the quest?" I said, bringing him back to reality.

Nico did focus, "I won't be ready to shadow travel again until the evening, definitely not before lunch."

I rolled my eyes. Boys thought about food far too much. Fortunately for him though I was a hunter and could conjure up a dead animal out of nowhere. (Well not really but I had never been hungry for long. Having no money was just very inconvenient.

Oh well, I think I'd enjoy spending a day in Olympus. It would be pleasant and there was no real urgency to get this quest fine. I would wait until night to steal all that gold.

I informed Nico of this and he certainly seemed pleased, now I just needed to find some food.

* * *

**So what did you think? Does anyone want me to continue writing this? Please do tell me! And feel free to check a few of my one-shots if you're interested. **


	11. Danger

**Here's another chapter and I feel like things are moving along! Well not really, I can't bear to rush things or make them remotely straightforward, anyway here you go!**

* * *

The day passed a little quickly for me. We ate some lunch in one of the gardens and then spent the afternoon exploring. It was the best thing to do with absolutely no money.

It was when we were walking around that I finally realised something was off about this place. Because it looked different from I remembered. It was in many parts only a slight change but this street looked completely different.

I asked Nico about it, feeling like I had died centuries ago. "After the second Titan war, Olympus was trashed so it was redesigned over the summer," he replied.

Second titan war? I really needed to find out what had happened over the last few years. I still didn't know why I was here. Had someone led me back to life or was it just a coincidence?

That's how Nico ended up giving me a detailed account of anything that had happened while I had been dead. I had been replaced by Thalia? That was ridiculous! I don't think I could bear to face any of the hunters now.

Well perhaps Thalia had matured, she had, after all, finally joined the hunters which she had originally actively hated and avoided. She surely must have changed.

And Percy Jackson had become a hero, a really good one too, I hoped he was still the good person I had just begun to know and Nico definitely seemed to think highly of him. Nico had of course charged a lot too... How had so much happened? In such a short time?

And Nico only knew half the story, he couldn't tell me anything about camp Jupiter but they undeniably posted a big part in ending the conflict. I wished I had asked Jason more but how was I to know that he'd just disappear. Maybe my arrival did somehow cause Jason to disappear. If some divine being caused me to appear there then maybe the same one caused Jason to vanish as I was getting to know him.

I need to find out what it was.

Perhaps I was drawing conclusions too quickly but I knew something was happening, I hoped King Midas, if it was him (and I had a very good feeling about it), would know something. I need some answers and this could quite possibly be my only opportunity.

* * *

We still had a while until nightfall and although Nico had definitely recovered, we stuck to or plan and visited a museum that had no entrance fee, it was filled with Greek and Roman relics that had no purpose in the modern day. Old swords and other weapons would be in an arsenal somewhere and most coins still had uses with trading so the museum most featured old pots and art work and medals.

Next to many of these articles were descriptions about ancient Greek with an incredibly accurate history, usually from the angle of the gods, giving it an interesting perspective. This was not the first time I had been there but it seemed that even here had been redesigned at some point. It was quite refreshing.

There was also a short section focused on Britain and France, consisting of more important items from when the gods had resided in those countries. I was looking around in this section when Nico suddenly grabbed my sleeve.

He gave me a desperate look and gestured to behind him without making a sound. All I could see was a tall woman in a suit-

That was Athena!

Nico was clearly uncomfortable and I had no desire to talk her either. We had to get out of here! Fortunately her back was to us so we quickly walked away without her noticing (or perhaps she just didn't care). And we left the museum. It was only once we were a safe distance away that I spoke again.

"I did not expect to see her in there, perhaps it would be best if we leave swiftly," I suggested though now that I stopped to think maybe Athena would have been willing to share some info with us.

"No, nor me. The gods have stopped communicating with us demigods recently though, maybe we should've talked to her," Nico said unhappily.

That was news to me. "Why have they stopped?" I asked.

He shrugged. "They haven't told us, but there must be some new threat," he replied.

I frowned. "I'd still rather avoid her, especially if she doesn't want to be contacted. I have hope that answers lie in Nebraska. Ready to go?"

* * *

I clutched Nico's hand tightly as we travelled through complete darkness. A few seconds and it was light again, though it seemed darker than New York. I let go of Nico again as I felt him fall to the ground in exhaustion. I didn't get a chance to look around.

Because a monster was charging at us in the dark. It was already too close for me to draw my bow so I quickly got out my gold short sword.

Just in time, as a bronze sword lunged at my chest, I easily batted it away but a scaly hand tried to grab my other arm. A dracanae, a dragon-women then. It attacked again with its sword, this time to disarm me but I avoided the manoeuvre and pressed the advantage. After a particularly strong slash, I knocked her sword out of her hand.

"I sssurender..." She said, releasing her grip on my arm.

I decided to ask her a few questions, before killing her. "Why did you attack me?"

"To protect my massster..." She mumbled with a defeated look.

"Your master?" I prodded, glancing at Nico, who was somehow fast asleep.

"The one with the gold, but I warn you, he will kill you if you continue," she said quickly, realising that I wasn't about to let her live.

Monsters had to continuously be killed, they had no qualms about killing mortals if they were in the way, and I couldn't leave Nico alone with monsters about. I stabbed her and the monster crumbled before being blown away in the wind.

There was probably more monsters lurking in the darkness so I sighed and grabbed Nico, and dragged him forward, where an imposing mansion loomed ahead.

* * *

I was right in front of the mansion now. I knew it was the right place setting as how the most random things appeared to be made of gold, including the door. The mansion appeared till have been painted a pleasing cream colour however many rebellious patches of gold ruined it. This could only be the work of Midas or perhaps some odd person with a very strange sense of humour.

Nico was still asleep despite how far I'd already dragged him. I briefly considered waiting a while before entering, but decided against it. Anyway, we had undoubtedly been seen already. Perhaps I should have attempted to be stealthy but I wanted to speak with Midas.

As I was pondering, the golden door swung open, well not swung, it opened slowly as it was obviously very heavy unsurprisingly. It seems they had noticed my presence and were inviting me in.

"Please leave," a boy said from the open doorway. He clearly wasn't going to tolerate us then.

"Greetings, may we rest here for a little while? My friend is exhausted," I said, acting like an oblivious, innocent person, and gestured to Nico, who really did need rest.

"No, you can't, leave now before I'm forced to kill you," the boy replied, as if we were slightly irritating him.

We sure do attract death threats quickly. "Let me in, I just need to talk to Midas," I said, dropping any act. He wasn't going to be fooled.

If the boy was surprised I knew that name he didn't show it. He snorted, as if I amused him. "Drop all of your weapons at your feet and maybe I'll consider."

"Or maybe I'll just force my way through," I threatened and wished I was taller, not for the first time. I could glare as much as I liked but I would never appear particularly menacing.

Well I was no longer a hunter, maybe I would grow up to be stronger and taller. It was an odd thought, demigods rarely grew to be old, the hunters were exceptions but for all I knew, I could die.

The boy suddenly smiled. "Is that a challenge girl? The name's Lityerses, I'm the best swordsmen there is," he bragged. His tone became worryingly serious, "you don't stand a chance."

He almost certainly was better, though he was likely underestimating me. I didn't particularly care honestly, your skill with a sword rarely prevented you from getting hit with arrows. I just needed a little space.

I took a step back. Lityerses took a step forward, grinning. He had his hand on a large sword, which had to be strapped to his back, ready to draw. He was just waiting for me to draw my sword before he killed me, though he wouldn't wait forever and it was probably too late too avoid this fight.

So I need to make some space. I slowly grabbed one of my special arrows in my left hand, and in my right hand, I drew my sword. Lityerses suddenly lashed out in an attack. An attack with a lot of power in it.

I jumped back but he just advanced and tried another slash, it was going to be fast and deadly. How fast was this boy? But I met the blow on my own sword - which just about took all of my energy - and I lightly threw the arrow with my other hand.

Without a bow, it simply wasn't flying fast enough to injure someone but fortunately that wasn't its purpose. I darted backwards, I was not so dense as to turn away from my opponent, as the enchanted arrow let loose a yellow cloud of methane - it was one of my fart arrows as everyone called them.

It momentarily stunned him with its pungent smell and probably temporarily blinded him too - that stuff really stung. It was just the opportunity I needed to get my bow out, as well as a few arrows. He had already recovered and was charging at me, only a few paces away. I didn't hesitate as I let loose an arrow. He made a movement to dodge but it was futile. The arrow hit him in the eye.

Lityerses roared in pain but slashed at me anyway, possibly in pure fury. No time to shoot. I couldn't dodge it. But I tried.

Pain. Red, searing burning pain. Left side, just below chest. Can't breathe. I hit the ground, hardly feeling the impact. Anger, weakness. My hand found my golden sword. I grasped it tightly, trying to unload my anger. There was his foot. In front of me. I lunged.

He howled again as blood seeped out of the new wound, I'd made. I felt some vindictive pleasure at his pain. I may have attacked again, the details were becoming blurry...

I was... losing blood. But it was too... tiring to move. My hands had suddenly become very heavy, like stone. My sword lay in front of me...

How careless... the hard stone porch suddenly felt very comfortable...

* * *

**That's it! Ending on a bit of a cliffhanger, tell me if Zoe seems too underpowered here or anything.**

**Anyway, please do give your reviews, I really appreciate them.**


	12. Petrification

**Hello! Another chapter, I think I can only manage weekly updates at the moment - school is quite a bit of work currently. So expect updates on weekends.**

**This story is now 20000 words, it's quite a nice milestone. It's also been added to a community, which I'm quite pleased about.**

* * *

I could feel pain in my side. And very stiff and cold after lying on the ground for who knows how long. I had to move. I had to get up.

My arms moved to support me and with great effort, pushed myself into a sitting position. I tried to ignore the sharp pain that came from my side as I moved. And breathed. After hesitating a little I examined the large gash they I'd been careless enough to get.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, in fact it had already been partially healed. Someone had given me Ambrosia and nectar. But I was alone. I opened my bag and decided to risk more ambrosia. I had to be ready.  
So... I was in front of Midas's house, well mansion, I was surprised I was still lying her honestly. Why hadn't anyone moved me?

Nearby, I noticed king on the ground, danger or possibly side. It was Lityerses. Yes, I now recalled our fight, he had been incredibly quick and aggressive by I was furious with myself for assisting him to one me. I would be more careful.

Suddenly, I realised something amiss. I realised what was wrong. Nico was missing. Undoubtedly it was he who had fed me the ambrosia. There was only really one piece to have gone and that was inside the mansion. Could Midas have others guarding him?

Well, the only thing to do was to go inside. I approached the doorway. And I froze. Because in front of me was a big golden statue. It was Nico. Oh no. My thoughts went back to a time when I had fought Medusa, I recalled her sinister statuary garden filled with her petrified victims.

Medusa had turned a few of my companions to stone in the past. Seeing Nico like this reminded me of that. How long had I considered him my companion? Was there any chance at all that the curse could be reversible?

I found myself taking a few steps towards the golden statue, until I could reach out a hand and touch him. Was it even possible for me to move him from this evil place? I found myself looking past Nico, into the regal looking interior of the mansion. Into the eyes of a smiling man.

"Hello, my dear! You must have come along with this boy," he said cheerfully, gesturing to the statue. He didn't sound particularly menacing but he seemed so relaxed, I knew he had to be dangerous.

"Well I know you came along with him, I saw him trying to fix that injury of yours earlier," he continued in that unworried tone. "Now what is your name?"

"Zoe. And yours?" I replied politely, playing along for the moment.

He chuckled. "Well surely you know me? You came for some help didn't you? But you may call me King Midas."

I had already assumed it was he. Fortunately, I was in no immediate danger because there was a golden statue in the middle of his doorway, preventing me from entering and him from getting within an arms length of me.

"Firstly, is it possible to reverse Nico's... condition?" I asked, dreading the answer. I hoped I would notice if he tried to lie.

Midas sighed at my question. "Do young people not recall myths these days?"

It was a rhetorical question. Still, I'd never bothered to learn much about Midas because he had merely been a greedy mortal, not a monster. I hadn't expected to ever meet him. I did know that he had made a foolish wish, of course, and had accidentally turned his own daughter into a gold statue.

"Many fingers have been burned with the touch of gold," I snapped, if only to show I knew who he was.

And he was grinning. "But it's a wonderful power, and if you had read further, you would've known that all you have to do is throw your friend in the river," he said, obviously enjoying teaching me.

I didn't think he was lying. Still I was surprised he'd told me so easily - I'd expected a few threats at least. And how fortunate, I could see a river just a few hundred metres away, when I glanced behind me.

"Now girl, I know you killed Lityerses but I'll be generous and allow you to take your friend and leave - don't worry he's safe to touch," Midas offered after a pause.

He was going to let me leave now? It was a tempting offer as I was still in considerable pain and Nico was in a bad way. Sure I had a quest to complete, but I didn't want to take too many risks. I honestly wanted to have a long peaceful rest.

But after a moment's thought I realised that Midas was probably afraid and wanted to get rid of us. Even if I had been injured, I did succeed in killing Lityerses. Midas wasn't a fighter. He was definitely dangerous but he wasn't a fighter.

I couldn't leave with nothing.

"My camp needs some golden weaponry. Would you be willing to donate some?" It would be wonderful if I figure leave without a fight.

Midas stopped smiling. And looked at me with no small amount of irritation. "And why should your camp be any concern of mine?"

"I think it would be little trouble for you and we'll smelt the gold ourselves," I explained in what I hoped was a voice that hinted at danger if he refused.

"You think you can manipulate me?" Midas suddenly snarled loudly.

As he grabbed a hammer - which instantly turned to gold - and held it above Nico. He intended to destroy Nico? Was that possible with a hammer?

"Touch him and I destroy you."

No fight could be avoided now. I took a few steps back and spotted my bow lying on the floor, where I had fainted earlier. That was careless. A quick glance at Midas told me he was unsure of what to do. So I grabbed my bow and aimed an arrow at his hand.

He yelped and dropped the hammer, which landed harmlessly on the ground. He backed away from me, giving me a venomous yet also fearful look. And he was out of sight, out of range. I lowered the bow.

I approached the doorway again. "Please!" I called out. "Just help me out and I will leave you alone." I didn't hate Midas, I didn't want to kill him when he could be so useful, if nothing else.

"Fine! Take what you wish, just stay away from me!" He called back.

An idea came into my head. "Would you be interested in coming to camp? You would be very useful to us," I decided to ask.

"No! I do not want to help you, I would be content here, if only you left!" Midas sounded both distressed and angry. There was no point in asking again.

* * *

"Zoe! What's happening?" Nico suddenly cried out, shocked to find himself in a cold river. I sighed in relief, as Nico climbed out. He was okay.

"King Midas turned you into gold, I had to drag you into the river. It is indeed fortunate that you were quite light or I wouldn't have bothered," I replied, light-heartedly.

"It really was Midas? Wow." Nico seemed quite astonished, perhaps horrified at learning he had been a statue.

"And you're alright? I can't believe I was asleep while you were probably dying!" Nico added, suddenly remembering and gave me a concerned look.

"Don't exaggerate. I am perfectly alright," I replied but smiled in gratitude.

"So what's the plan?" Nico asked, shivering due to being soaking wet.

I knew of a Pegasus stables a few hours away from here. I quickly explained as we walked that I would ride the Pegasus I'd found in the mansion - and a chariot filled with gold, while he shadow travelled there.

"Why can't I ride in the chariot with you?" Nico complained.

Nico was beginning increasingly adverse to using shadow travel. "Because you the up too much weight and Pegasus hate you. It makes sense that you go on ahead."

"But it really tires me out! And we'll be separated again, what of we get into trouble?" He objected.

"You won't be as tired if it's just you and a fistful of gold."

"What's the gold for?" He asked, fortunately distracted from complaining for the second.

"Buying a Pegasus or three."

We were approaching the mansion again and although Midas hadn't been bothering me, it was reassuring to have Nico with me just in case. Nico looked resigned to following my plan so it seemed our quest was almost done now. And fairly successful.

It was premature to be celebrating but I was pleased. Octavian was unlikely to be a great help when I returned but if that was so then I would refuse to help him again. If nothing rise, I would at least have some money. Perhaps I could get some new clothes and a hunting falcon. I was missing quite a few essentials for hunters.

All in all, despite feeling apprehension as I entered the mansion again. I was rather optimistic about the near future.

* * *

**What did you think? Thanks for reading!**

**Please do leave a comment, especially if you notice any inconsistencies or spelling/grammar mistakes. Or if you have suggestions and ideas or even if you like/ dislike anything. I read and appreciate all comments! Thanks!**

**I'm British so I don't know a great deal about locations in America (now you know why I keep getting the characters to use teleportation to get around.) If you have any advice it would probably be useful. I think it suits Zoe to speak in British English but if any of the other characters say any British words that are out of character, please point it out as I doubt I'd notice.**


	13. Patience

**Hey there, here's another chapter. Thanks for the reviews, I do plan to make Percy and Zoe a couple unless I decide to diverge. Sorry if it's so slow, I want to speed up yet I love all the subplots...**

* * *

"Goodbye Midas," I murmured as he appeared through a doorway.

He surveyed the chariot I stood next to with interest. That fearful look he had worn earlier was gone, replaced with a composed, if not resigned look.

"The Pegasus's name is Sherbet." He wasn't looking at me, only at his flying horse.

I said nothing but slowly boarded the chariot, ready to leave. Midas left without another word.

What a strange character. Very dangerous. Yet he wasn't a monster but a mortal, blessed with the golden touch. I doubted that I was the only one to use him for his powers.

With these thoughts in mind, I instructed the Pegasus to leave though the back entrance of the stables. Sherbet complied and I was soon in the air, carrying an impressive bounty of gleaming gold.

* * *

Even by air, the journey would take a couple of hours. By the time I arrived, Nico would most likely be awake and may have bought a few Pegasus too.

Unless Nico was in some sort of danger; he was vulnerable while asleep. Perhaps this plan had been too risky. And yet there was nothing I could do about it now. Nothing safe for flying in his direction as fast as possible.

Trying to distract myself from these negative thoughts, I instead thought about Midas. I'd never asked him how he had escaped death. I knew now that I wasn't the only one so it seemed that the barrier between life and death was fading in general. But why?

Something was happening. Jason's disappearance, people coming back to life, Greek and Romans meeting each other. The gods lack of communication. Who was behind all this? Maybe we should have talked to Athena back in Olympus, she usually had answers.

I sighed. It had been a long day, I looked forward to a rest when I arrived at the place. I couldn't go to sleep in the air unfortunately. Instead, to pass the time, I decided to enchant a couple of arrows although that would likely make me more tired.

* * *

Sherbet was grateful to land when we arrived. To my relief Nico was waving at me. I waved back. It looked like things had gone smoothly after all.

"No Pegasi?" I asked as I landed.

Nico shrugged with a smile. He seemed relieved to see me as well. "I decided to wait."

I frowned when I noticed some bruised skin on one of his cheeks. It looked like someone had punched him. "Are you alright?"

"Wonderful," he replied, in an unconvincing voice. Far too cheerful.

"Nico?" I asked again, or rather demanded.

"It's nothing, just a Satyr wanted to... fight." Nico blushed.

I rolled my eyes in amusement. "How did you manage to find an aggressive Satyr?" I chuckled.

"I don't know! He was really mean!" Nico complained loudly.

"Well I'm glad to see you have recovered from losing against a Satyr."

"I didn't lose! I won!" He protested.

"Whatever, let's go," I said feeling genuinely cheerful.

"I didn't lose though," he muttered, following me.

We bought half a dozen Pegasi with a chunk of our gold. That was all I planned to get but the camp couldn't be unhappy with another seven Pegasi in total. It was a miracle to get that much anyway.

With that done, we paid a little more to sleep in beds for the night. When I got back to New Rome, I was definitely going to get some camping supplies though. This quest had highlighted how much I didn't have.

We had some food - we were quite hungry - and didn't do much else before resting for the night. I was asleep within moments.

-

The next day was warm and bright and clear, perfect for flying, so long as the sun didn't get in our eyes. I prepared the chariot in high spirits and decided to attach six Pegasi to it, while I flew on Sherbet, whom I was becoming quickly fond of.

Sherbet was a rather lovely beige colour with large cream wings and a cream mane. He had carried the heavy chariot admirably yesterday, with a few short rests. He seemed to have quite recovered his energy over night however I thought it'd be best if he carried just me.

This meant that Nico would be in the chariot. I hoped that the Pegasi would tolerate him, though he seemed worried about it. I needed him to fly it, as it would be quite troublesome trying to handle seven flying horses. And splitting up was usually a bad idea.

I think they didn't mind as long as Nico kept his distance in the chariot though it nevertheless took about twenty minutes of ordering to get them to fly and Nico seemed convinced that they were planning to make him to fall to his death.

So I had to endure his complaints.

"Shadow travelling is nothing compared to this - I think they're looking at me!"

"Zoe are they secretly laughing at me?"

"Help! They're going to flip me over!"

It was irritating and I'm sure the Pegasi were as tempted as I was to just let him fall. I'd catch him, of course. How did I end up on a quest for Pegasi with someone who was scared of them?

It was ironic. Not that Nico hadn't been a big help but I hadn't anticipated such an exhausting flight. Sherbet decided to keep his distance from the chariot. The sound of rushing winds in my ear miraculously drowned out his voice. Though I found myself feeling irritated as I knew he was complaining

Eventually Nico became silent and even conjured a book from somewhere to read. I scowled, because one shouldn't read while flying a chariot but decided not to say anything if it kept him occupied. The Pegasi simply followed Sherbet and I.

I found myself enchanting arrows again, which was what I usually did to prevent boredom. It usually required a fair amount of concentration to enchant them properly. The wonders of flying in the air faded after a while and the chill winds were unpleasant.

Unfortunately we would be flying all day to get back at camp very late at night. Perhaps we could've checked in at a hotel somewhere and arrived at camp in the morning but that was troublesome with seven Pegasi and a chariot full of gold.

So we flew in silence all day with rests for lunch and dinner. I may have stolen a few apples for the horses too. The weather stayed warm all day although it felt could up in the air.

* * *

It was indeed the middle of the night when we arrived at the familiar tunnel leading back to camp. I got off Sherbet and led the chariot through the tunnel followed by some very shocked looking guards.

I recognised one of the guards as an archer though I didn't know his name. He recognised me as well and looked at me with suspicion as well as shock.

"Miss Nightshade... What are you doing out of camp?"

I gave him a sharp look. "I was helping the camp, have you ever tried that?"

He snorted. "Helping? After what you did with Jason?"

Nico, looked down at us from in the chariot. "What did you do to Jason? I thought he disappeared?" He asked, with innocent curiosity.

"He did disappear. Some people just suspect me because they're idiotic."

"You appeared days before he disappeared, fully trained and was the last person to see him, and you call yourself innocent?" He seemed so certain that he was right.

Nico chuckled. "Zoe's a good person. You can trust her, don't worry." I smiled at Nico, that was nice of him to say.

"Oh you're friends with the ambassador of Pluto? Obviously you're trustworthy," the boy said in a voice laced with sarcasm.

I just barely restrained myself from lashing out at him. I quickened my pace.

"Those supplies are for the camp, courtesy of myself and Nico," I stated.

Not waiting for a response, I rushed off to find somewhere to sleep, it was best to avoid killing any obnoxious boy.

* * *

**That's it for now, thanks for reading! So the mini-quest is over but I enjoyed it, I hope you didn't mind it either! Please do send your reviews, especially if there's something you dislike so far. But things you like are also appreciated.**

**I like the name Sherbet.**


	14. Boredom

**Hey there! Here's another chapter, and yes my mind was set on making Zoe more awesome but I don't think I succeeded just yet. I'll work on it.**

* * *

When I'd woken up the next morning, I was feeling excited. That excitement soon vanished when I realised where I was. Back at the camp. Where no one knew who I was yet also wouldn't leave me alone.

I'd found that apart from the war games this camp was far from exciting. Sure it looked interesting from a mortal's perspective but when you had lived with gods and myths for your entire life this place was honestly boring.

Everyone had unpleasant jobs to do daily and if you slacked off then there were harsh punishments. The training could easily be fun and enjoyable if they weren't so strict with order and discipline. The Senate and all the rankings were far too political, it created ambitious types like Octavian. I was surprised to find I really missed camp half-blood, with its strawberry fields and campfires.

Why would I be led here? I'd only just got back and I was already dreading being messed up in some politics I didn't really care about. Maybe I should've left and never returned.

But someone had sent me here and I was too intrigued to leave now. Surely something important would happen soon. I was willing to wait.

But I wasn't going to keep to myself. I smiled to myself. I was going to be exciting.

* * *

So first thing in the morning, I went straight to New Rome with a pocket full of gold. Usually, I didn't enjoy shopping but today I was literally grinning as I browsed through various shops.

I soon tracked down a hunting falcon, a large brown-feathered one with characteristically sharp eyes, and soon coaxed him into sitting on my shoulder. I soon wished I wore a thicker shirt with his sharp talons. I named him Fudge.

Afterwards I bought some new outfits, with my mind on 'interesting' there were a few strange choices, at least for me. Most people probably wouldn't find them worth comment. It was nice to own a few things.

Finally, I went to a weapons shop to buy a few components for a sword I was planning to craft. It would also be a little strange for my standards.

I then walked back to camp under the weight of a falcon and a few shopping bags, I began to wish, I'd thought of taking Sherbet around , it would have been faster and more interesting. Maybe I could do that from now on.

It was lunchtime by the time I returned to camp. I'd managed to avoid everyone all morning so naturally they ambushed me when I came to eat. It was something of a surprise.

I sat down while people whispered around me, spreading rumours I imagined. They had no doubt noticed my different clothing and Fudge, my falcon, perched on my shoulder. Setting as how they stared at me, I caught a few people's eyes and they immediately looked away. Inwardly I smiled, thinking about making an impression.

"Zoe! Are you okay?" Louise, daughter of Apollo sat down opposite me while talking in a concerned voice. "I'd been looking for you for days before someone told me you'd, like, left the camp, were you on a quest? How was it?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I cut in.

She barely paused. "Why didn't you tell me about it? I would've helped you out. Did you go, like completely alone?"

I sensed a little anger in her tone, I was surprised by the offer, I hadn't realised she already considered us friends, it was nice. "Forgive me for not saying anything but don't worry, Nico helped me."

"Hey Zoe!" A familiar voice called behind me. "Heard about the quest - love the bird by the way." It was Gwen, she sat down next to me.

"Nico, son of Pluto?" Louise murmured. I ignored her.

"Gwen. Good to see you," I said to her with a smile. We had been on strained terms before the quest but I hoped we could move past it.

"Why are you in a toga by the way?" I added, noticing it. Presumably she had just come out of a Senate meeting.

"Oh I heard there was a meeting, anything interesting happen?" Louise asked, keen to be part of the conversation.

Just then, Nico sat down on my other side, mumbling a greeting. He was wearing a black toga. He immediately began eating lunch, apparently not interested in talking. Louise watched him warily for a moment before turning back to me and Gwen seemed glad I was in between her and Nico. It was sort of comical, Nico was far younger than her.

"So the meeting?" I said, wondering how everyone could be this frightened of him.

"It's a meeting you should have come to." Octavian approached me from behind, also in a white toga, I noted.

He walked around the table, presumably so I could see him frown at me in annoyance. I supposed someone had gone looking for me earlier but had failed to find me.

"Why?" Everyone else had gone silent as they watched me and Octavian. They all feared him. And they feared me.

Octavian sighed as if I were slow. "We were discussing your little adventure obviously, while you were buying pets, it seems," he replied, with a disapproving look at Fudge.

I was bored of Octavian. His carefully planned words and his ability to persuade the crowd. He had convinced everyone to distrust me and had somehow convinced me to go on a quest. I didn't care that he could blackmail me, I want going to bother worrying about him anymore.

"Hunting falcon, excellent eyesight, good at tracking, flight, has sharp talons and beak. Very useful, might even save my life or greatly aid me." I listed, daring him to suggest that his meeting was more important.

"Wonderful," he replied with no interest. "You are, of course, going to be rewarded."

I sighed, he was taking his time to say what he had come here for, something that was irritatingly normal for him, if past encounters were anything to go by. I instead turned to Nico.

"You're going to be made a full member of the legion," Nico immediately revealed.

"Reyna's probably looking for you right now - to get branded," Gwen added with a cheeky glance at Octavian. She clearly didn't like him.

"Yes, if you would come with me then," Octavian said not looking particularly annoyed.

"You'll have to wait unfortunately, I'm having lunch right now," I replied, gesturing to my so far untouched plate of food.

Octavian was not amused.

"Come on now, Zoe, that's an order."

"Okay then," I replied and paused. Octavian looked pleased. "As soon as I've finished eating."

He was speechless, unsure how to react to my unworried and relaxed attitude. I didn't spare him another glance as I ate some pasta.

"Zoe if you don't-" Octavian began only to be cut off by Gwen.

"Oh leave her alone for a minute, why don't you? What's the rush anyway?" She asked, in an equally relaxed manner.

"You'll find that this is far more important than lunch," Octavian said.

I snorted. "It's more important than not dying of hunger?"

"Yes it is! It's more important than life!" Louise laughed.

Octavian made no reply, but glared at the group of us and stood there fuming for a few minutes. He didn't relax until I got up and calmly told him they I would come with him. I couldn't help but wonder how long he would've waited there silently.

* * *

If Octavian thought he was going to get a opportunity to talk to me on his own, he was wrong. Nico decided to tag along, cheerfully expressing interest in watching the branding.

"By the way Zoe, I can't believe you got a shirt saying 'I love strawberries,' I never thought you'd wear something like that," Nico said as we walked, examining my t-shirt.

"Why not?" I asked, wondering if there was something wrong with it.

He immediately backtracked, mumbling that it didn't matter. Nico could be strange at times. Octavian simply ignored us, and quickened his pace.

And soon I was branded with the markings of a Roman demigod, first year. Incredibly painful and the marks couldn't be removed but it meant I was off probatio which came with some advantages I didn't care about at the moment.

These would be on my arm forever. My life as a hunter seemed like an entirely different dimension.

* * *

**That's it for now, what did you think? Please do review, thanks!**

**By the way, I have a few other ideas for fanfics, I don't want to start another long fic while I'm in the middle of this one but if you have any good ideas for other fics, I'd love to hear them. It doesn't have to be Percy Jackson either as long as I know the fandom.**


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